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Sweeping the Cobwebs

(If you don't mind, click through this link for a couple of days to get us noticed by Google)

If something isn't working or looks bocky, please let me know! Still working out the kinks...

Cleaning Schedules

I would like to offer some notes on Candy's cleaning schedules. She has two, and swaps back and forth between them as the mood takes her (which seems unnecessarily complicated, but isn't a lie, either.)

Candy recommends:

Fridays - Do a deep cleaning, alternating each group(see below) for each week. One week, you'd follow group one, and then the next week, you'd follow group two, etc.:

Group One: Stove top; All kitchen appliances; Washing machine and drier

Group Two: Glass doors; Windows; Tables and counters

Group Three: Sinks; Showers and tubs; Toilets

Group Four: Super sweep and mop all hard floors - focus on the edges and behind things.

Group Five: Super vacuuming of all rugs and carpets - focus on the edges and behind/under things.

I recommend that you clean the toilet more often than once per month, especially if you have 6 people, home all the time, putting it to constant use. Mothers of two or more young boys may find that they need to clean the toilet several times a week. It is also advisable to clean your bathroom sink often so that bacteria, toothpaste stains, etc. don't build up.

I am not a health inspector or professional, but I do know how dirty a toilet can get if it's neglected!

If you don't clean faucets, sinks, and toilets properly, don't be surprised if your family is sick all the time!

Most people also prefer to clean their stove every day, or possibly even every time you cook (depending on how messy of a cook you are.) If you choose to clean your stove top once per month, you may need to use a chisel. Please don appropriate white industrial gloves before undertaking such an arduous task!

Recommended resources:
Organized Home Notebook Planner

Organized Home Cleaning Grand Plan

Managers of Their Homes (MOTH) - Browse resources for free master lists, chore charts, etc.

A Mother's Rule of Life, by Holly Pierlot - Catholic; scheduling your day with a spiritual perspective

Squalor Survivors - if your home is really bad

And ladies, I can't believe you skip these enlightening posts. I'm hurt, I really am.

*<]80?

Blink and you'll miss it.....

Candy's posts, that is. Despite her "farewell cruel world" (my words, not hers) post earlier this week, Wednesday, a lucky few of her most diligent readers were privy to this post:

We are moved into our homestead, even though there is still a "wall of boxes" in
my bedroom. That will all be handled soon.We are keeping internet, because I use
it for some of our homeschool. My apologies to those who were hurt by my
disappearance. I may start a vlog soon; I don't know. I just don't have the time
for more than 5-10 minutes of internet a day.I need to watch some youtube videos
on growing veggies, because I don't know what I'm doing. :-P I'll learn. :-)If I
decide to do something with KeepingTheHome.com, you'll see it here.God bless,
and get off of the internet, and enjoy your family! :-D

One had to be speedy to catch this post, however, which lasted a mere 10 minutes before being replaced by The Great White Screen of Doom. (Okay, perhaps I’m being dramatic. It’s what I do.)


After a day of white, readers were treated to a brief statement to the effect of “I don’t know what I’m doing with this page.” (Sorry, I can’t find the exact quote in the comments. GreekChorus, please, feel free to fill it in.)

Update: Seraphima has provided me with a screen shot of this message.

"Where will this page go? What will happen to it? I honestly I don't know right now. I do not have the time to do a daily blog anymore, that's for sure. If/when I decide what to do with this page and keepingthehome.com, you'll probably find out from this page."

And, from what I've gathered from the comments, this was soon replaced (again) with The Great White Screen of Doom.



But fear not, dear readers! Candy would not leave us high and dry! KeepingtheHome has far from disappeared. This morning, the page has been updated again:

For a woman who has but 5-10 minutes of internet a day, she certainly makes good use of her time! Of course, when one is of MENSA intelligence and has super-human typing abilities, one can accomplish much in 5-10 minutes.



What does the future hold for Candy and KeepingTheHome.com? Is she turning over a new leaf? Will we be treated to a new, kinder, gentler Candy? One can hope, but only time will tell. (And I would caution all of our dear readers to not hold their breath.) Regardless of what turns KTH takes, let Wednesday's 10-minute post serve as a reminder to all of us of the importance of screen caps.



*Screen Cap How-To:

At the upper left-hand side of your keyboard, you should see a key that says "Print Screen". Hit that. Now open your paint program and paste. (I do Ctrl+V because I'm lazy and it's fast.) Up should pop a picture of the screen. Save as desired.

HeathenFan v2.0

Surely, you didn't think that Tia would leave Greek completely high-dry when it came to the moderation of all the Drunken Hens. Luckily for all involved, I was asked to step in.

Unfortunately, I lack creativity. I did spend some time attempting to come up with a new, witty name. (Okay, not much time, but certainly a good 90 seconds was spent in pondering.) Luck struck again, though, when Tia bequeathed to me her moderator name. Hence, I will carry on the good name of HeathenFan.

Think of it as reincarnation.

I assure you, I am one of the regulars. Thus, I am familar with the CIAL back-story and the occassional soap-opera that has errupted in the comments. I intend to continue posting in the comments under my regular name. In my official position as co-mod, I will remain anonymous. While I suspect that some of you will catch on quickly (I'm well aware that my writing style is fairly distinctive), I will neither confirm nor deny any rumors as to my true identity.

Thanks, again, to Tia for doing such a fabulous job as co-mod. You have left big shoes to fill. I hope to do you proud. *sniffle*

You may now return to your regularly scheduled Drunken Clucking.

Where is Candy? Where Can She Be?

So, Candy went offline and moved to a homestead. The announcement appeared on her blog Monday, Feb. 23, 2009.

Candy's Meez room is still up and running, and she was there on Monday, after she posted her farewell to thee on her blog.


***Update!*** Candy signed onto Meez today, Monday, too!

Candy was commenting up through Saturday.

She last viewed her YouTube on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009

Farewell, My Friend

The going from a world we know

The going from a world we know
To one a wonder still
Is like the child's adversity
Whose vista is a hill,
Behind the hill is sorcery
And everything unknown,
But will the secret compensate
For climbing it alone?

by Emily Dickinson

Tia said:

I guess my timing is somewhat ironic.

I, too, will be leaving the Internet world behind. But, I am doing it to deal with real life.

I didn't want to be dramatic about it, but I blew that out of the water by deleting my blogs, I guess. Blogging just wasn't/isn't for me and Friday was quite an emotional day in my world and I just - reacted, I guess.

It's no secret there is a lot going on in my life and I realized that I've been hiding out from it by hanging out online all the time. I justified it by telling myself and anyone who would listen that job hunting is an online venture, but really, I didn't and don't need to spend entire days at the computer. I have to get up, brush off, and start doing what needs to be done in order to get my life and head in check.

I am not dropping off the face of the earth, but I am making sure that everything I do, or don't do, is a conscious decision. I am removing myself from distractions, time sucks, and things that have allowed me to avoid reality for the past couple of months.

I still have email and will check it and use it, so it's not like I'm running away. At least I don't think I am.

I will miss all of you, my wonderful fake friends who have helped me through a lot. But, it is now time for me to help myself. Past time, actually.

Lucky for me, with Candy’s blog ending (although I don't believe it for a second) is a distraction that has been eliminated without me having to do a thing.

I have to say though that I am glad she closed up shop. She showed a lot of who she is in doing so. It may seem hypocritical, given I just wiped out my blogs, but I never had her following or claimed expertise in anything or claimed I was helping anyone plus, the blogs are gone but I am not. Not entirely. And I am giving an explanation, and still have email and, well, it’s totally different. Right?!

Anyway, maybe now her minions will move on and start living their own lives without her influence. Not to mention the fact of her hate being removed from the Internet. Like others, I don't know how her homesteading involves other families, unless they moved to a compound. Yearning for Zion II, perhaps?

Two more things. One, I’m sad today that our area has lost Archbishop Timothy Dolan. He’s going to New York. Although not Catholic (duh), I hold a lot of respect for the man and his influence on the communities in and around Milwaukee has been nothing but positive. He’s a calm, reasonable, well spoken man who has done a lot.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/40067412.html

And, finally. HeathenFan is going with me. Surprise, surprise. Or, maybe not so much.

My fake friends, I thank you.

February 23, 2009 10:58 AM

Goodbye wishes:

butterflygirl said...

Tia, I hope everything works out for you! Take care and you will be missed!

Heathenfan, goodbye to you also. I appreciate all you have done for this site!

February 23, 2009 11:02 AM

Mrs. N. said...

Tia, I hope you find the peace and answers you are looking for.

February 23, 2009 11:02 AM

Mrs. N. said...

Thanks Heathenfan for all your work on this site.

Amanda #1 said...

It just ocurred to me today that Tia=HeathenFan. I'm slow like that.

I'll miss you, Tia, and wish you the best. You'll always be in my heethun Kathlick prayers.

February 23, 2009 11:05 AM

anymommy said...

Tia-
Some time off will do you a world of good. Ask me how I know (wink).
I will continue to pray for you.

February 23, 2009 11:07 AM

sweepingthehome said...

Tia - I am sorry to see you go. I read your blogs and enjoyed it (in fact, I was about to comment on something last week when something came up and I had to step away from the computer). And I have always enjoyed reading your comments here about the nutjobs. Good luck with everything.

February 23, 2009 11:07 AM

Milehimama said...

Tia,
We're still here for you if you need us!

How about you be the crazy aunt, and pop in every now and again to stir up the pot?

You're in my prayers.

February 23, 2009 11:08 AM

Grace Marie said...

Tia.
I will miss you! I am praying that events in your life settle down and that you find a job worthy of your talents. You were an integral part of the "gang" here and will be sorely missed. Drop a comment now and then and let us know how things are going.

Maggii said...

Tia! I'll miss you...please pop by my blog occasionally...I'd liek to keep in touch...Hope things work out for you one way or the other..I'm sure they will...

February 23, 2009 11:41 AM

Saved Sinner said...Tia/Heathen - I'm sorry to see you go.

--Also, I am able to hop on here for a bit off and on because I have been up since 4am --


WOW- And I thought I got up early at 6:30.

February 23, 2009 12:04 PM

Seraphima said...

Tia I will truly miss you. We may be very different but I have always enjoyed your company and converation.

Uh-oh wait just a cotton picking minute here!

Tia stops blogging and is leaving the internet world and Candy is "homesteading" and leaving the internet world. Tia *is* Candy! Wow - the irony!! ROFL

Tia you remain in my prayers, I hope to hear from you from time to time. psalm30_4@yahoo.com

February 23, 2009 12:06 PM

Suzanne said...

Tia, I will be praying for you and hoping that all goes well. Sounds like your making a good decision for your wellness.

February 23, 2009 12:36 PM

~M said...Awww.. Tia you will be missed.

synchroswimr said...

Tia/Heathen, you will be truly missed. You said you will still be on email, I hope to keep in touch.

I still have no idea who Greek is, if Greek is a regular commenter.

Stephanie said...

Tia: All the best to you, and thanks for being a mod here.

CatholicMom said...

Tia = HeathenFan

I had no idea.

Tia, I wish you the best.

If you need a sponsor for when you convert to Catholicism, I will be on the first plane to the midwest.

Shalom to you, my friend.

February 23, 2009 4:39 PM

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ...

Remember a few months ago, when I said that God was moving my family and I on to the next stage in His plan for us? And, do you remember that I said we have been working on an important project? It has all come to fruition.

We are homesteading!!! :-) I will not mention the state or country we now reside in. Our new house is four bedroom, and has two full bathrooms. It was quite the move to get out here, but we did it. Now you know why I had to cut my internet time down to just the blog and some research time. I also relied heavily on Blogger's auto-blog function, via their "scheduled blogging" feature.

We now have land for growing some food, and hope to be "breaking ground" any day now. We are living our dream, and praising the Lord for it each day.

This also means that it's time for the Keeping The Home blog to come to an end. Farewell to my friends.

Click here to learn more about Christian Homesteading.

God bless you, and goodbye.

Well, Candy claims that they have moved into a 4 bedroom house and are homesteading.

What's the name of this blog?

Oh, right. Candy is a liar.

A big move to homestead does not make sense.

One does not go "off grid" overnight.

If she knew she was moving, why did she start her "on my bookshelf" series?

They moved out of state, but she still posted comments, banned and unbanned people, and posted posts? Blogger's autofunction doesn't include generating responses to comments. Candy commented

Did they hit every Starbucks on the way to their new digs and fire up the desktop?

She posted comments on Saturday at 8:26 AM, 1:34 PM, and banned His Tender Mercies 10:09 PM.

Was she telling the truth when she said she was having a possible BBQ for 25 people this weekend?

Just like everything else, I give this a couple of months. More likely, they had to cut internet service for a while, and she'll be back.

However, the initial goal of this blog was to call Candy out on her lies and (hopefully) get her to stop lying.

It has become a community and we shall go on!

Send ideas for posts, guest posts, etc. on to me at chorusmod(at)gmail(dot)com.

SIL Anne Speaks, part 6 - finale!

Why is SILAnne posting this? See the rest of the series, here.

Candy in pink, SIL Anne in blue, my edits for privacy in orange.

Because of this situation, Erik and I have deemed that the best course of action is to remove our family from the [midwest, East Coast, and West Coast] families. Please consider us complete strangers - we almost are, anyhow. (Agreed -- in terms of "those Brauer's" understanding of your life choices, we couldn't be more disassociated.) We don't want any inheritance money for Erik, Candy, or the children, should any exist, and we don't want any birthday cards - just leave us alone. The irony of this statement is almost too much for me to bear, but I'll just say, "Your request comes too late…"

We have my family, who visits us each summer, and knows the TRUTH about us, because they care to ask, and they care to visit. How many times did you and/or Karl visit in [the Midwestern state], but never dropped by to visit us? We would have loved to treat you to dinner, and set you up with a nice, cozy room to sleep in for the night. After moving to New York in 2002, I never came back to [Midwest state capital] before you moved to [C's current residence], so I guess the answer to your first question is "Zero." As for Karl, I suspect he had better things to do in [Midwest state capital] than drive 100 miles out to the wind-blown eastern plains of [Midwest state] just to hear you and Erik proselytize for hours on end about how everyone in the world is going to hell except the two of you. Certainly that is what has driven the rest of Erik's life-long friends (Mike, Mark, Don, etc.) away.

But alas, that is all past. Here, in the present, Erik and I don't see any way we can get you to see that what you've been doing is wrong, hurtful, and not at all loving. (I know the feeling. Sometimes you run into people who just can't see the truth of a situation, and instead live in a delusional state of denial while claiming everyone around them is crazy and bound for hell…) We will give your dad a call, and let him know that we don't want any inheritance, and that we are "divorcing" the family. Oh, such drama! You actually typed the word "divorcing" and you actually called Dad and left him a message to call you back…so you could then tell him you don't want to talk to him anymore. Yet you can't recognize the extent of your irrational behavior. Pathetic.

Our true family is our friends in Christ, who would gladly help us whenever we may need it. They are not respecters of person. They love us for who we are, not for how much money we make, or what our social status is. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ, that is our family, and we will be with them in heaven for eternity.

You've certainly got it all figured out, don't you? You even know who is going to heaven and who is going to hell (apparently, all Catholics and anyone who doesn't read the "right" bible is included in the latter).

Well let me tell you what I know. I know you haven't got a clue what Christian love is, as the pain you cause your children, your extended family and even your blog followers confirms. Claiming you know who is going to heaven and hell, and telling Dad he's headed for eternal damnation after the amount of patience and support he's given you, is not only sinful but something I cannot forgive. You're fully aware of his concern for your children's welfare, but instead of thanking him for his ongoing kindness and generosity, you threaten to cut off all contact in an attempt to hurt him. It would be simply pathetic if it wasn't also so unbelievably cruel. I suspect the REAL reason you are so eager to cut off Dad from the children is because he is the complete opposite of what you are teaching them about Catholics, and they're becoming suspicious of your credibility. To them, Grandpa is THE most generous, honest and loving person in their lives…and you just can't stand that!

So, on behalf of your three siblings, I'm officially granting you both a "no-contest divorce." You won't be hearing from Mark or Karl or me again. And if you're assuming Dad has an endless amount of patience with your treatment of him…well, you might not have everything figured out after all.

The welfare of your children remains a great concern of mine, but the Lord gives me the strength to change the things I can and accept the things I can't. I leave the fate of you and yours in His hands.

Updated:

All right already. In the interest of transparency, here’s a disclaimer.

SILAnne is a commenter on this site who has had interaction with the owner of KTH blog. SILAnne is frustrated and I allowed her to air her side of the story on CIAL. The posts are her opinion, and not necessarily the opinion of anyone posting on this site or in the comments. So don't come on here saying the Catholics or any other religious or ethnic group are responsible for this post series. I, The Greek Chorus, have only seen SILAnne’s email and response.

I do not know SILAnne personally. I do not know 100% her identity, but I’m quite sure that the SILAnne on this site is the one that Candy took into the public forum, more than once on her KTH blog.

Please note that unless privacy is requested, all emails sent to The Greek Chorus may be published. Especially if the sender asks me to publish it.

SIL Anne Speaks part 5

Why post this? Also see part 2, part 3, and part 4.

Candy's email to SILAnne in pink, Anne's comments in blue, my edits and redacts for privacy in orange.

Erik says that you had an irrational hatred for your mother, (Mom and I had very different points of view on things like many mothers/daughters, but I did not have hatred towards her…(how dare you suggest it!) and it looks like you have the same thing for him. Again, not hatred…pity, bitter disappointment, aggravation…those are better descriptions of my feelings towards Erik.

It looks to me like it doesn't matter what Erik says or does, because you've already made up your mind, instead of listening to your brother. I've listened to him and watched him slowly slip away from reality for the past 20 years. It's clear he's never truly recovered from his broken relationship with [K.D.], as that was the last time he seemed sincerely happy and with his life on track.

Since that time he's dropped out of college, dated welfare recipients and teenagers and stopped using his God-given talents for anything more than pointless dabbling in fantasy projects yielding little-or-no pay. To do that as an individual could be considered selfish, but to continue to live that way as you create more and more children, all of them totally dependent on you, goes beyond irresponsible. It is a shirking of the Christian responsibility to properly provide for your family.

Erik says that he doesn't see any resolution to this problem, since it's all coming from you, and will continue, regardless of what he says. (Too bad "Erik says" all of these things through you. Apparently he can't face me, even via email, himself.) He believes that any information you get will be used against us, including this email, and so the only course of action is to cut off all communication, for the safety of the family. ("Cutting off all communication" sounds like the act of someone who has plenty to hide. That statement, combined with your fear of letting your children talk to anyone outside your tightly-controlled world only increases my fear of what is really going on with you and your children…)

This will be the last time you hear from us. Dad is being cut off, in order to solve the problem YOU are creating. To put it simply, YOU are attacking us; we are not attacking you. Therefore, we must take measures. I am absolutely attacking your deluded, fanatical lifestyle and the danger it poses to your children. If you think cutting off Dad will somehow make me regret my open contempt for how you treat your kids, you're wrong. While you characterize Dad as only caring about Erik's income and whether or not the kids are "having fun," the truth is he has reason to believe they aren't getting enough to eat while also being deprived of any normal social interaction – not to mention their constant exposure to poisonous spiders that left him with multiple and severe bite wounds during his last (and final) stay in your mobile home. Notice how he hasn't stayed with you during his recent visits?

SILAnne is a commenter on this site who has had interaction with the owner of KTH blog. SILAnne is frustrated and I allowed her to air her side of the story on CIAL. The posts are her opinion, and not necessarily the opinion of anyone posting on this site or in the comments. So don't come on here saying the Catholics or any other religious or ethnic group are responsible for this post series. I, The Greek Chorus, have only seen SILAnne’s email and response.

I do not know SILAnne personally. I do not know 100% her identity, but I’m quite sure that the SILAnne on this site is the one that Candy took into the public forum, more than once on her KTH blog.

Just a Word

Various commenters have said that C should sue for defamation, or slander. Obviously, this blog is written so slander is out. Remember, hens, sssslander is ssssspoken!

Candy is a public figure. She is an author who accepts money for her work. She advertises her blog on other blogs, by leaving links. She, herself, has publicized herself as a notable person - including the major metropolitan area she lives in, her religious beliefs, and her last name.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation's entry on defamation:

Is there a difference between reporting on public and private figures?

Yes. A private figure claiming defamation—your neighbor, your roommate, the guy who walks his dog by your favorite coffee shop—only has to prove you acted negligently, which is to say that a "reasonable person" would not have published the defamatory statement.

A public figure must show "actual malice"—that you published with either knowledge of falsity or in reckless disregard for the truth. This is a difficult standard for a plaintiff to meet.

Who is a public figure?

A public figure is someone who has actively sought, in a given matter of public interest, to influence the resolution of the matter. In addition to the obvious public figures—a government employee, a senator, a presidential candidate—someone may be a limited-purpose public figure. A limited-purpose public figure is one who (a) voluntarily participates in a discussion about a public controversy, and (b) has access to the media to get his or her own view across. One can also be an involuntary limited-purpose public figure—for example, an air traffic controller on duty at time of fatal crash was held to be an involuntary, limited-purpose public figure, due to his role in a major public occurrence.

(Bold, orange emphasis mine.)

Read the whole thing, it's not too long.

Also:

Generally, anyone who repeats someone else's statements is just as responsible for their defamatory content as the original speaker—if they knew, or had reason to know, of the defamation. Recognizing the difficulty this would pose in the online world, Congress enacted Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which provides a strong protection against liability for Internet "intermediaries" who provide or republish speech by others. See the Section 230 FAQ for more.