Winter break

My new job has alot of perks. One of those being I get a winter break. Our offices are closed this year from December 22 till January 4.

It's been nice having off the same time as Hubs and the boys.

I have managed to catch up on the laundry and I didn't even have to wish for the fairies to come help. I put away all of the Christmas decorations yesterday and straightened up the house.

I even read a few of my favorite blogs.

But what I really want is to spend some time with my family. So as CEO of my blog I have made the executive decision to take the rest of the week off. And since my blog ratings have fallen so far off the chart you can't even see them, this shouldn't be a problem.

I wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year. See you in 2010!

Christmas carols revisited

So R1 is at that age where songs are revised and the words changed to make some funny new song with the old ones tune.

Here is what is was singing the other day to the tune of Deck the Halls.

Deck the halls with kerosene fa la la la la, la la la la.
Light a match and watch it gleam, fa la la la la, la la la la.
Watch the school burn down to ashes fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Isn't it fun to play with matches, fa la la la la, la la la la.

So glad he's getting musical education while at school. He's a rock star in the making.

Hope you and your family had a Merry Christmas, fa la la la la, la la la la.

Merry Christmas 2009

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11

I hope that each of you have a wonderful Christmas filled with love, family and precious memories.

Christmas Eve

I think I love Christmas Eve almost as much as Christmas morning.

We have a candle light service at church every year. We sing just a few Christmas carols and the last song is always Silent Night. It is during that song we light our candles and the entire sanctuary is glowing by candle light.

I have always thought our church was beautiful but when everyone is standing there holding their candles and the light is glowing and spilling from every corner, every year I think the could never be more beautiful than it is right now.

But this year will be extra special to me. This year Hubs and R1 are reading a scripture verse during the service. And they will be one of the candle lighters this year.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas. I hope you spend it with family and friends.

But most of all I hope you remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Jesus, our savior, is born.

Sick or at least I am starting to feel that way.

I can not go to school today said little Peggy Ann McKay.

I have the measles and the mumps, a gash a rash and purple bumps.

OK so I'm not Peggy Ann and don't have the mumps or purple bumps. Nor am I Shel Silverstein. But I am feeling as if I am trying to come down with a cold.

Last night it really hit me. My face was starting to feel flush and the slightest bit of activity had me resting for at least an hour before I could even think about doing anything else.

Even folding the clothes was a exhausting, but when isn't it?

I even went to far as to put on my "sick" PJ's and my extra warm socks and sat in the recliner under the throw blanket.

And while most of us don't have time to be sick. I really don't have the time right now. We are going to be so busy at work for the next two days, they have blocked anyone from taking vacation.

So if I am a little out of it the next few days just blame it on the cold meds I started, because all mom's know two things...

1. While we are sick, the clothes don't wash themselves and 2. The house will look like a tornado just went through it right after an earth quake.

Merry Christmas!!

When the magic dies

I love Christmas, it is one of my favorite holidays.

I love it not only for the birth of our savior, but the magic it holds for my children.

It brings me great joy to watch their faces every Christmas morning. Their eyes darting from one gift to the next. To see the light in their eyes when the receive something they really wanted.

Watching them look at Santa's plate, missing cookies and his special glass of milk half gone. To see Rudolph's bowl of carrots half eaten. I love to watch them go to the back door and see the glitter from Santa's sleigh sprinkled all over the back porch.

But this year the magic has died just a little. My first born, R1, is now 9 years old. He is out growing Santa. He is beginning to realize that Mom and Dad buy the gifts, wrap them and put them out as if Santa himself came down our chimney and placed them in front of the fire place.

And while it saddens me, I know it is a normal part of the growing process. But I want him to still have that child like quality where the Christmas holiday is full of wonderment.

Full of magic.

When he told all of this over the past weekend. I simply told him, if you don't believe then you don't receive. He then asked me if I believed. I only replied with isn't there always one present under the tree to me from Santa?

How can something bring you such joy and sadness at the same time. It truly is bittersweet.

While Christmas takes on a new meaning for R1, R2 still has a few years to go before the magic fades for him.

And I am truly thankful, because I don't think I am ready just yet to let the man with a fluffy white beard, and big round belly wearing a bright red suite fade into the past.

Through my children I am child like once again at Christmas with all the magic and hope that this one season brings.

Ho Ho Ho...Merry Christmas!

I'm a little tired.

I don't know about y'all but I'm so tired from The Nester's Christmas Tour of Homes yesterday that I am having trouble finding something else to blog about.

There are some pretty talented women out there! There are also some beautiful homes. And I even got a get new idea or two for next year.

But since I can't seem to get a coherent thought going here is a little something from the archives around this time last year.

Time for a game of charades.

Last night after dinner the boys decided it was time to play karate or kick wrestle or what ever they call it.

It's basically them running at one another and trying to kick the other one in some sort of karate maneuver. It's a high energy game that makes me tired just watching.

Anyway, I had a headache and had already taken half the bottle of Advil but it hadn't kicked in and the boys were to loud for my ringing head.

So Hubs laid down the law.

He said no running, kicking, screaming, yelling, no physical contact, no pretend physical contact, don't even think about having any contact.

At this point R8 looks at R3 and says....Hey R3 do you want to play charades?

We all just cracked up laughing.

Christmas Tour of Homes 2009

I love this Christmas carnival. It is one of my favorites!!

You get a small peak at the inside of some of your favorite bloggers homes during the holiday season and you also get the chance to check out some new site as well.

Another great perk...getting new fresh ideas for next year. I had never thought about decorating the light fixture in my dinning room until a few years ago I saw one and it looked awesome. So the next year I did a variation of it, it turned out fabulous.

Last year we had just gotten back in our house one week before Christmas from Hurricane Ike damage. I down scaled our decorating that year. We only did the tree and the mantle. I loved the simplicity of it. So this year I kept it simple again and only added a few other elements.

OK lets get this party I mean tour started.

Here is my Christmas tree.


Usually the only thing I do is the ribbon, garland, and the angel. The boys do all the ornaments. And if I do say so my self they do a great job. I wish I had a better picture of my tree skirt. I have a snowflake theme and the skirt has white flakes on red fabric. It matches our stockings.

Here is the fire place. It is one of my favorite areas. Just very simple, but I love it.



Next is my china cabinet. I just love the glitter boxes. I found them a Christmas store and wish I had bought more.



Here is the wreath I made to hang on the back door. It is the door we use the most and I wanted to some Christmas cheer as I entered my house.



And here is the other wreath I made to hang on the front door.



I hope you had great time wandering around my house and maybe even a got a few new ideas.

I pray you and your family have a Merry Christmas!

Still missing

It's been almost a year since Pam-Maw passed away and I still miss her as if it just happened.

Christmas was her favorite time of the year. She loved to have her house decorated to the max. She also like to drive around and look at all the lights. It was one of her favorite things to do.

Since Pam-Maw live with Uncle M and Aunt D, Aunt D always did the decorations and the trees. She has decorated the house to the max this year including the front yard. It means more to me than she will ever know.

And while it saddens me that they have taken down Paw-Maw huge cherry wood bed and moved things around. It thrills me more that they have redesigned her space to make it their own. Their family/hang out room.

Uncle M and Aunt D had it painted and new curtains hung. Bought a new TV and coffee table. The have set up an area just to read and relax and another to watch TV or play games.

I know Pam-Maw is looking down and smiling. She wouldn't want them or us to turn her room into a shrine but rather some place that brings happiness and peace.

I miss you my sweet Pam-Maw! And I just know the Christmas lights in heaven put ours to shame!

It's beginning to feel alot like Christmas

I am happy to announce that with our recent snow fall and the fact that all of my presents are bought, wrapped and under the tree except for Santa I am starting to feel more relaxed about the holidays even though my calendar is jammed packed full of stuff to do just about every night and weekend too.

What I want to know is what are some of your favorite holiday traditions.

A few of mine are...

Christmas Eve candle light service and then going to look at the Christmas lights in our neighborhood.

Decorating the doors to the boys bed rooms.

Having Christmas day brunch as a family.

And

Watching most of the Christmas specials that come on TV.

Now it's your turn.

Office Christmas Tree

I mentioned a while ago that during my 11.5 hour shopping spree on Black Friday that I bought a Christmas tree and all the decorations for my office.

I had seen on a friends Facebook page her Christmas tree that she does every year and her theme. I liked it so much and I thought I could one on a much smaller scale and pull of her color scheme because it would match the decor in my office.

Her color scheme is Black, White, and Silver.

And here is a picture of the tree in my office. What do you think?

The stump

Not to long after we moved back into our house from Hurricane Ike, Hubs and his dad cut down a tree.

Hubs thought the tree was blocking the satelite dish from receiving the signal, but in all honesty I really just wanted the tree gone.

So he and his daddy cut the tree down and left the stump. Hubs kept telling me he would get to it and cut the stump out and fill in the hole. But here we are a year later and it hasn't been done.

That is until now.

It S-N-O-W-E-D again!

Well here we are almost a year later and it has snowed AGAIN in Southeast Texas.

I can't believe it.

Friday on my way home from the flakes kept coming and coming. As I got closer to my neighborhood and then onto my street, the flakes were HUGE!

Now the snow didn't stick like it did last year and we didn't get nearly as much but we sure did have fun playing it.









And yes those are MY zebra print rubber boots R1 has on. Guess he couldn't find his fast enough, that and mine make a better fashion statement than his plain old black ones.

Happy Birthday Duh-Duh

Today is my mother in law's birthday. Other wise known as Duh-Duh to boys.

And to keep being her favorite daughter in law I will not reveal her age. Note, I am her only daughter in law so I will always be her favorite. Even though this birthday ends with a zero and is between 50 and 70.

Truth be told, I love this woman and when I grow up if I can be only half as good a mother in law as she is then I have truly accomplished something.

And in staying true to my birthday list of things here is one just for her.

1. I am glad that she raised a Godly son.

2. She loves me as if I am her birth daughter and always has.

3. She loves the boys with all heart and soul.

4. I like how she and Big Guy get each grandchild for a week by themselves in the summer just to spend time with only them.

5. I love how when she is out shopping she will randomly call and ask what size clothes the boys wear and then come by with a bag full.

6. I really really really miss her and Big Guy living right behind us.

7. I love how she "nudged" me to go to church with them.

8. I love how she calls every few days just to say hi and she loves us.

9. I like how committed she is to her family.

10. I like how she gives of her self to others.

11. I love knowing she prays for us every day.

12. I just love her love her love her!!!

Happy Birthday Duh-Duh. May it be a wonderful day with wonderful memories.

Love you!!!

I was grounded

Have I ever told you the story of how in my late twenties I got grounded? Yes that's right grounded.

No, well get ready here it comes.

I had been on my own, in my own apartment and paying my own bills since I was twenty. And in the early days of dating Hubs, I would sometimes spend the night at his house. And before you go getting the wrong idea, let me say this, he still lived at home.

I would stay at his house because 1. He mom and dad said I could. 2. It was much closer to work. and 3. I loved being there.

The thing with me staying there was there were rules. Rules which were meant to be followed.

I would sleep in Hubs' bed while he would take the sleeper sofa. And the rule was if you slept on the sleeper sofa it had to be made up BEFORE you left the house.

One morning we were all in a rush and we forgot to make the sofa.

Big Guy, Hub's dad, came home around lunch time to see the sofa unfolded and messy. I thought Hubs' had made the bed and he thought I had made the bed. So no sofa bed was made.

Now Big Guy is a make your bed every morning kinda guy. And a rules must be followed kinda guy.
And here is where I got grounded. Duh-Duh, Hubs mom, and Big Guy told Hubs that I was not allowed to spend the night for a week. 7 days, no exceptions.

My first thought was, WELL I am a late twenty something and I haven't been grounded since I was a teenager. And that's fine! I have a house to stay at and I will stay there never spend the night again!

But looking back, I'm glad I was grounded. Not only does it make a great story to tell years later, but it also show me that Hubs' parents cared enough about us to hold responsible for our actions.

Even though we thought we were old enough we still had to follow the rules. They were setting us up for parenthood. And we all know how hard it is to be a parent. Some times it even stinks to discipline our children. Not matter how big or small the infraction might be.

And to this day when I ask Big Guy if it was hard to "ground" me or us, I still get the same answer...NO, no it wasn't.

The Blind Side

Hubs and I had date night Saturday. It was totally spur of the moment and it was wonderful.

We went to dinner and the movies to see The Blind Side. If Sandra Bullock doesn't win an Academy Award for her performance then shame on them. Tim McGraw and Quinton Aaron did a wonderful job too.

You can go here to get a little background on the movie. This was one of those movies where I just wanted to get up in the middle of the story and go home and hug my kids. It made me laugh and cry. It made me clap and cheer. And it made me hold my breath and exhale slowly.

It also made me want to go and buy the book when it was over. And after it was that is just what Hubs and I did. We went to Target and bought the book.

But through out the movie I just kept thinking how great our God is. How wonderful He really is.

God knew back, way back before any of the characters were born what would happen.

He led Sean and Leigh Ann together. Gave them the resources they would need to help Michael before they even knew who he was.

Let them be in the right place at the right time. To help him, love him, give him a home and a future he would not have had.

He gave Michael a sister and brother who stood by him, when even they were being talked about by their peers. God gave Leigh Ann and Sean the tools they would need to teach their children about character and standing up for those you love and believe in.

God gave Micheal a future. And all I can think of is Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God gave Michael hope and a future. And he trusted God to give him these things. While the move doesn't come right out and say that he prayed for this. I know he must have. He must have prayed for God to help him and give him a family that loved him.

And Leigh Ann and Sean must have prayed to. Prayed to be able to help Micheal and give him what he so desperately desired.

I'm so glad we have an awesome God and that I serve Him.

If you see no other movie this year, see this one. It will not disappoint. I promise!

Black Friday Shopping

Last week I had the crazy notion to go shopping on Black Friday. I have never done this before and after hearing everyone talk about it I thought I would try it just once.

And just to warn you this post is going to be long, so get ready.


So I called my friend Beth and asked her if she and her daughter would like to go with me. Truth be told if Beth said no then I wasn't going. I really didn't want to shop by my self and it is always more fun when you shop with a friend.


Anyway Beth yes said and then promptly asked what time we would be leaving. I say 5AM, but only if that's OK with you. She said sure, and she would meet me at my house.


So on Friday, at 5AM Beth and her daughter pull into my driveway and then we all pile into my car. But before we leave, Hubs coming out into the garage and spouts out "IS THERE A REASON WHY YOU LEFT THE CLOSET LIGHT ON?!" I reply in the nicest of nice voices NO, and then haul butt out of the garage while remembering to hit the garage door opener to close it.


The first thing we did was stop and fill up with gas and then get some food. We needed a sugar rush to kick start the morning. After that we were game for anything.


We hit the mall first. Old Navy was having a give away and we got there around 5:15 but they didn't open until 6 and the line was half way down the mall so we kept walking.

We went to Children's Place next. I love their clothes. They are not very expensive and they last! Which is a good thing when you have boys. I bought both boys this sweater to have their pictures taken in and a few other things for them to open on Christmas day.

Next we made our way to JC Penney and Bath & Body Works. My mother loves it when I give her all things bath related and it's usually at BBW where I rack up for her.

After that we just made our way down the mall stopping where ever we thought might find something.

Then once we were finished with the mall we made our way to Target. This my friends is where I totally scored for the boys. I got everything on my list. Almost everything. They did not have Connect 4X4, which is a new version of Connect 4. But I wasn't upset I knew I still had an entire month to find the game. And another good thing. There weren't any lines at the check out. I walked right up and unloaded my cart. Can I get an Amen?!

Once back in the car we headed over to Academy and Toys R Us. I made a few purchases at Academy and once I saw the line at Toys R US which was wrapped around the store and then into Babies R Us I just couldn't justify standing in that line for one thing, even if it was the coveted Connect 4X4 game. I secrectly think Beth was relived.

Kohl's was our next stop. I know I was supposed to be shopping for the boys and family but I TOTALLY found some great things for me. I found these boots and this sweater jacket/vest thingy. And it was all on sale! And as a side note, I didn't even pay close to the prices which are listed on their website! I saved over $70.00!! I was so excited. Merry Christmas to my self!

Next up was Shoe Carnival, Dress Barn, and Bed Bath & Beyond. And while it was fun to go into these stores, read this twice...I DIDN'T BUY A THING! I know what is wrong with me.

It was at this point we decided we needed some nurshiment and went to eat some mexican food. All I can say about it was it was good because I inhaled all of it. After we ate we went back to the mall for round two. Actually Beth found a coupon in her purse for Macy's and we just had to go see if anything they had.

Hobby Lobby was on the list after that. I wanted to do a black/white/silver small tree for my office. I had seen one in a picture on a friends facebook page and it looked awesome. So on a much smaller scale I accomplished what I wanted and purchased a tree and all the trimmings. I will have to post a picture later as I keep forgetting to bring my camera to work.

Once we finished at Hobby Lobby, which the shopping didn't take long, it was the slow moving check out line. But in their defense you know everything that is breakable has to be wrapped in paper like 1,000 times. We were off to Lowe's and then Michael's.

I think by the time we hit Michael's we had hit rock bottom and it was 4PM at this point. Yes we had been shopping for 11 hours straight.

Unbelievable!

After Michael's we headed to off to Chick-Fil-A. Two reasons. The first their Peppermint Chocolate Chip shakes are to die for! And the second, what ever you bought that day, if you saved your receipt anytime in December you could go back and get exactly what was on your receipt for FREE! FREE, I say. Look Hubs you don't have to cook dinner! Our Chick-Fil-A did this once before and it was great for a quick dinner when I didn't feel like cooking anything or should I say Hubs didn't feel like cooking anything.

By the time we pulled back into my drive we had been gone 11 1/2 hours. I have to say it was fun, non stressful, and completely rewarding knowing that I am done Christmas shopping and I can enjoy the holiday. Hubs didn't even call or txt me every hour to ask me when I was coming home.

But now I still have the task of wrapping EVERYTHING.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Hello, hi, howdy!

Hi! Is anyone still there? I disappear for a few days and my site meter crashed to non existent. It's not like I have a thousand readers so how it crashed it beyond me.

Moving on.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I will just say this ours started out small, six people and then it jumped to eight and then it went to eleven, and the final count was thirteen in just a matter of hours.

But God provided just like he always does. We had plenty and we had left overs for another meal.

I went shopping on Black Friday for the first time, but that is a post for another day. Let me just say this...11 1/2 hours of shopping! I literally shopped till I dropped.

I also rested for about an hour and the put up the Christmas tree and all the decorations. The inside of the house is done and while I was gone Hubs and the boys had done the outside.

Now it's time for one of my marathon wrapping sessions because another small feat happened over the weekend. We are done shopping for Christmas!

EVERYTHING, bought and stashed away. It's a really great feeling that I can relax and actually enjoy the holiday.

So I hope everyone has a great Monday!

Oh and don't forget The Nesters Christmas Tour of Homes on December fourteenth!

The mojo is non-existent

I had no idea that Hubs had hijacked my blog again!

And as painful as it is, I would never lie to you, it was all true.

Guess Hubs thinks I needed some sort of post up since my posting has well become non existent.

To tell you the truth my blogging mojo has gone kaput! Out the window, gone, left, up and vanished.

I think it's holidays. Really we do not have free weekend in November and December isn't looking much better. I get tired just thinking about it.

Z z Z z Z z Z z

Oh sorry, I needed a nap.

Anyway. I'm taking the rest of the week off. We are having Thanksgiving at our house and it is already kicking my sweet potato butt.

So I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with the ones they love and they eat all the pumpkin pie or what ever dessert you like till you just can't handle ANOTHER bite.

See you back here on Monday.

Gobble Gobble Gobble.

The Dreams

So RRmama doesn't know I am doing this. I'm hijacking to tell some funny stories that happened this week.

On Wednesday night I was working on my computer and she was sitting in the recliner watching her favorite shows on Food Network. About 10:30 I head a noise that sounded like she was choking to death. I turned around and she was asleep so I said, "are you okay?" She did not reply but she moved and I could tell the noise was actually her snoring. She moved enough to stop so I went back to my work. A few minutes later I hear her "choking" again. So I decided that was enough and I tell her to go to bed. I help her get up and on her way and about halfway down the hall she just looks up and out of the blue says "Wow, that looks delicious!" Huh??? What are you talking about. I guess she really was into her Food Network., so much so she was dream walking down the hall to it.


So, fast forward to Thursday night, well really Friday morning about 3. I rolled over in bed and once again she is making some weird noise, a grumbling this time. I once again ask, "what's wrong are you ok?" Her reply, "I would be if you wouldn't have left me on the side of the road". What?? I would never leave her on the side of the road to begin with, but the only place we had been together was about 2 minutes away and there really isn't any place to leave her.

It has been an interesting couple of nights around here. Hopefully she will keep saying funny stuff.

Favorite Thanksgiving things

Since Thanksgiving is next week, I know NEXT week, I thought I would list a few of my favorite things for this time of year.

And if any of you are in need of an idea or just short on time, like me, please feel free to steal mine or make one of your own.

And now my list....

Cool crisp air

Good hair days

Pumpkin pie

Home made chicken and dumplings

My mother in laws dressing

Boots

Blazers (over sized)

Bright fall colored leaves on the ground

Fires in the fireplace

Smell of cinnamon and nutmeg

My house filled with family and laughter

Road trip to Marshall, Texas

Just a little up date on the old works stuff. The hearing was postponed and should be taking place in a few weeks. UGH! I was really hoping to get all of this behind me but it looks as if it's going to be a little longer.

This past weekend the family took a road trip to Marshall, TX. We went to ETBU (East Texas Baptist University) to be exact.

Some good friends of ours have a son, Austin, who will be graduating in December and he was playing his last college football game.

Austin's wife, Lindsey, invited all of their family and close friends to come and celebrate this day with them. The only catch was Austin knew nothing!

Before the game ETBU was going to announce all of the seniors and introduce them and their families. So Lindsey along with Austin and his parents were all down on the field waiting to be announced and Austin looks up into to stands just to see how crowded it was.

His face said it all! He was so surprised and excited to see about 40 of us, sitting there ready to cheer him on.

It was a great game and ETBU won 42-7. Sorry Howard Payne University! And Austin had four tackles and ended up holding the record for the most this season.

Then after the game we all stood around for pictures and the headed off to his house for yet another surprise.

Lindsey planned to have all of us over for a BBQ. So while Austin was cleaning up we were all setting up!

When Austin walked up and saw all of us standing there and clapping for him he was even more shocked. He truly had no idea. Lindsey kept it from him for almost a month.

You see Austin's dad, Richard, is one of Hubs' coaching buddies. They have been coaching together for over 12 years. Hubs' even coached Austin when he was in middle school.

And back when Austin was in middle school he broke his wrist during a football game. And so Hubs told both Richard and Austin one thing Saturday night during the party.

It's a long way from "Holy Crap, it's broke!" Which is exactly what Richard said when Austin broke his wrist.

Way to go Austin! We are so proud of you and of Lindsey!!!

Old job stuff and prayers

I've got something going on Thursday morning that I am needing your prayers for.

Y'all have been through the old job saga and the lay off with me. Then the new job joy. But the old job saga is back.

I am scheduled for an unemployment hearing. Yes ma'am, just like a court hearing but without the attorneys and a judge. We will be sworn in by oath and the whole nine yards. And this whole thing has just really got me.

I will be having a telephone hearing with a hearing official and my old employer.

Now I have been at my new job for a while and this old job stuff is still hanging around. I know the state is swamped with unemployment at an all time high, but I really want to put all of this behind me and move on.

I have been praying and will continue to pray. I am praying for all of us involved, even my old employer. I am praying for the hearing official. I am praying for Jesus to just sit him self down in an empty chair if there is one, I will have one ready just for him. And if there's not a chair then just to sit down on the floor.

To let everyone feel his presence and make himself known to them. To give all of us the knowledge to make the decisions that need to be made.

To calm my nervousness. To hold me by his side. To give me strength and guidance.

But most of all I want His will to be done. He knows what I want. But He also knows that I truly want what He wants. He knows what I can handle and what I can't. He knows what will be best for me now and in the future. And I trust Him completely.

So if you get a chance or think about it on Thursday around 9:30AM, say a pray for me.

Thanks!

What was I thinking

The title should say it all and clearly I wasn't thinking when I made this agreement.

R1 has been going to Sparq training. It is a work out developed by Nike, you can go here to read and see more about it.

Any way,

Part of the training is that every night and I do mean every night R1 has to do 40 push ups and 60 crunches.

So in order to motivate R1 I made an agreement with him that I would do them with him.

Seriously, I know! Believe me I know.

So for the past few days R1 and I have been working out, kinda.

He's getting the full benefit of the core muscle training and I'm getting just part of. But oh how just part of it is kicking my butt!

My arms are sore, my chest is sore and so are my sides. I keep telling myself that a woman of my age shouldn't be doing these sort of things but then I look at a friend of mine who is my age and is a Body Pump trainer and what great shape she is in. And if she can do it then so can I.

And what I really want to ask you is should I go ahead and unlock the front door and put the phone on the floor by me just in case I can't get up and I need help?

I'm just sayin'.

My calendar is full

So it's only the first of November and my calendar is already jammed packed. This past weekend was the only weekend during the month where we didn't have something planned.

So I did what any normal person would do. I held a marathon cleaning session. It took me all day to clean the house and do the laundry. Which by the way I never did finish the laundry.

I have also come to the conclusion that I am in desperate need of a laundry fairy! So if any of you out there have one would you please send her my way.

Any way so the house is clean and I love it. In the weeks to come I will be attending a college football game and going to a wedding so the house must stay this way for the next two weeks.

Do you boys, all three of you hear me? Clean for the next two weeks. I know it's a long shot but hey can't blame a mom for trying.

And then it's Thanksgiving. I know seriously, Thanksgiving. And believe it or not I already have something on the calendar for December 4th and 5th.

So even though it's the first of November it seems as if the holiday season is upon us. I went into Hobby Lobby and the mall and it's all decked out for Christmas complete with music.

I really want to enjoy the season this year. This time last year we weren't even in our house. Remember this.

I think I am going to try my best to slow things down a bit and just relax and enjoy this time. And I hope you do to.

Merry Thanksgiving and Happy Christmas!

Shoes shoes and more shoes

This past weekend a local department store was having a huge sale and I almost missed it!

My sister in law called to tell me Bealls was having a sale. Buy anything in the store and get the next anything for a dollar.

I know A DOLLAR!!! That's like almost free or get both for HALF OFF!

So with that sale in mind I hopped in the car and headed to the store.

R1 needed new tennis shoes and R2 was beyond need. As I was getting into the car Hubs informed me that he needed new shoes too.

Also R1 has been begging for a pair of Converse All-Stars. He has been asking every weekend if we could go get him a pair. My response has always been no but only because they are canvas and he is so hard on shoes. And I really didn't want to spend $45.00 for a pair of shoes that would be in total shreds after the first week.

So upon arrival to the store, I briefly glanced at all the beautiful sweaters, screaming cold weather, and kept right on walking. I mean seriously, it's November and the weather is a gorgeous 75* and I am still running around in capris and flip flops. Oh and not to mention that Tropical Storm Ida will be in the gulf of Mexico next week.

I KNOW!!! A tropical storm. Come on November 30th.

OK back to the story.

I make my way to the shoe department and I immediately find a pair of shoes for R2 and then I go look for Hubs. As luck would have it I found a pair for him too. Hubs=regular price and R2=$1.00.

Then I start to look for R1. I find him a pair of tennis shoes and then think I really need to find another something or other to get it for a dollar. Because really who could pass up a great pair of jeans or a jacket or another pair of boots for a dollar!

So I look around and I can't find a thing. I don't know what was wrong with me but everything I looked at was either to small or two sizes two big. Or not what I was looking for. But then the thought came to mind.

R1 and his Converse All-Stars.

Now if the store just had them in his size. So I walk back over to the shoes and SCORE!!! They had them. I couldn't pass them up for a dollar. I would have been crazy. And if they fell apart in the first week then I could justify it by only paying a buck.

I walked out of Bealls with my, uh I mean, the boys shoes and went straight home to show them.

R2 and Hubs like theirs and then I pulled out the first pair for R1 and showed him. I said he liked them but you could see the disappointment in his eyes just a bit. And then I pulled out the second pair and the next thing I knew I had his arms around my neck telling me I was the best mom ever!

And just look how cute, I mean cool they look.

Nothing

So I had my post all typed out and ready to go for today and then my hand did something crazy.

I deleted it! All of it!!

Not one piece of it was saved. And since I'm so mad and frustrated and mad. Did I say that I was mad?

I am going to have to retype it and put it up tomorrow.

But let me just say it has to do with a boy and his fashion sense.

See ya tomorrow peeps!

Following in big brothers foot steps

Before I got home yesterday, Hubs called me on my cell phone and warned me of something that happened to R2 at school.

R2 had a nice red bruise to his face. His cheekbone just below his left eye to be exact.

And let me just clarify this, I know the title says following in his big brothers footsteps but R1 did not kick anyone in the face nor has he ever been kicked in face.

But R1 has been it in the face with a baseball, several times.

And I would like to say that R2 got his lovely bruise doing something glamorous such as being hit with a baseball but that is not what happened.

Apparently R2 and his friend B got into a scuffle at school which resulted in R2 being kicked in the face.

So in following in his big brothers foot steps, R2 now has a bruised face to add to his collection of many facial mishaps.

Just check this out...OUCH!!!

Halloween fun

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween.

Oh and before I forget, I have noticed a few of you and I mean all three of you, still have my site as .com in their blog rolls. Please when you have a minute or two or ten update it to .net. It should be rrmama.net. Thank you ever so much.

I know the boys had a great time at our carnival by the way the kept running from one thing to the next. They looked like balls in a pinball machine. I don't really know if it was from the excitement or just a plain old sugar rush.

I tend to think it was a sugar rush because I really feel as if I ate my weight in the HUGE sugar cookies they were serving. But that's all I am going to say about it.

Any way here are a few pictures of the boys.

Boo

Last night the boys and I did our annual pumpkin carving.

They pick the design and I carve. But I also let them carve their own pumpkins this year.

So the kitchen ended up being three times as messy and the process took what seemed like for ever.

But their pumpkins turned out great and we all had fun.

Here are a few pictures...








I've been so busy the past few days that I really enjoyed the family time last night. So I'm taking Friday off to spend more time with the boys.

I hope everyone has a great time trick or treating!! And I hope everyone gets all they candy they can stand.

Can't even think of a title for this

I have so much random stuff going on right now I didn't think I could put it all under one title and stick to it. So I think I'll just start typing it out and let it go where it goes.

This past weekend we had our school carnival and it was a huge success. The boys had a blast playing all the games and jumping in all of the different moon walks set up.

R1 had saved enough money to buy a video game he has been saving for. But I have a feeling he will be loosing the new game due to the fact he will be grounded because he becomes oblivious to the requests of his father and I. Anyone else have this problem?

I made not one but two trips to my beloved HEB this weekend. I forgot to get a ton of stuff not just one or two things but like twenty things. And I had a list!

I had my bible study class last night and Beth Moore is still bringing it and she totally brought it last night. I got it in such a way my soul hurt. A good hurt but oh my head is now swimming with information that is going to take me all week just to process.

I'M BELIEVING GOD!!!

Sunday after church R2 helped me work in the back yard flower beds. My yard now actually looks like people really do live here. I love to work in the yard I find it therapeutic.

R1's teacher and Hubs tried to play a trick on me yesterday. Hubs' showed R1's teacher the picture of his diorama on my post and she sent me an email saying R1 was upset because I wouldn't let him help and how I made the whole thing. I have one word to describe my feelings...PANIC!!!

I was ready to throw mine in the trash and let R1 make one all by himself. Which would require me to leave the house and walk up and down each and every isle at Target. Twice.

But then Hubs came clean and told me, he and R1's teacher had planned the entire thing.

NOT COOL HUBS, NOT COOL!!!

So other than that we are just getting ready for the Halloween carnival this weekend and the plethora of candy that will follow.

How about y'all?

The dreaded class project, again

So here were are AGAIN! That time of the year where the teachers are giving out class projects.

This year R1 has to do a diorama of one of four Indian tribes they have been studying.

Diorama is a fancy word for grab a shoe box cover it in brown paper and then break out the glue gun, but not before going to Hobby Lobby to get all of the necessary items to make the project. And to stock up on 1. more glue sticks 2. more Halloween stuff (50%-75% off) and 3. Christmas stuff it's already marked down to 40% off.

So while R1 played his DSi, I went to work on his diorama. My OCD for all things crafty takes over and even if he wanted to try to help, I wouldn't let him. Just kidding.

But anyone who has ever done a class project know the parents are the ones who really make the project. There is no way a child of his age could make a life size scale of a working robot. Which was one of last years projects. I'm just sayin'.

I sat down at the kitchen table, with all my supplies and started planning and fabricating just how I was going to position the Indians, teepee's and all the other Indian stuff.

After about an hour this is what I, I mean we, came up with, that a few fingers that were burnt and still have hot glue residue on them!

We used a Nike box and since it was bright orange, I covered it in brown wrapping paper, inside out..the right side says "Do not open before Dec 25th.


The finished diorama


My bad photography skillz, trying to show you my burnt fingers covered in hot glue.

A teaching moment

Yesterday was just one of those kinda days.

Where things go wrong and words speak louder than actions.

Yesterday R1 had a bad day, made some bad choices. And his decisions affected me and Hubs.

A friend said to me yesterday evening, everyone messes up and deserves another chance. And he was right.

So last night R1 and I talked a little bit about his actions and we decided to forgive and move forward. I even let him watch TV after I told him he was going straight to bed when we got home.

Then later on in the evening, R1 did something else that just set me off. I admit it, I yelled and screamed. If I wanted him to learn from my actions, then I did a down right crappy job!

In all the craziness of the moment, I realized that God gives us second chances. And thirds and fourths and so on.

So after we fixed the problem and I calmed down. I prayed then I went to R1's bedroom and prayed with him. Actually we both prayed. We both prayed for each other along with other things.

This is the side I want my son to see. The side of me where my faith kicks in and God take control, not my anger fueled emotions with the devil sitting on my shoulder saying "go for it!"

Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs I have ever had. In fact some times it just down right stinks!

And when life doesn't go down the nice neat path and the bumps feel more like pot holes, or better yet like the earth opened up and swallowed us, we know God loves us and forgives us.

I told both boys last night, no matter what they did that day or any other day, no matter what they say or said in the past, I love them. I will always love them. God loves them.

And if He can forgive them, then so can I.

Music Skillz

So last night Hubs and I are standing in the kitchen getting dinner ready and R2 comes running in.

And he is singing.

Singing a Steve Miller Band song at that.

He comes sliding through singing...I'm a smoker, I'm a midnight toker.

At this point I would seriously have to question my parenting skillz.

Bed time blues

It seems I have mentioned this before, for some reason R2 gives us trouble every night around bed time.

We get him settled, he's watching TV, and the next thing I know I hear the following calls:

1. Mama!!
2. R1 won't share the covers!
3. I need you!
4. I need another hug and kiss!
5. Mama!!
6. I need a drink!
7. You forgot to turn on the light!
8. Mama!!

So last night was no different except that I was extremely tired and Hubs was doing some research on the computer.

My question is this how do you get a 41/2 yr old to settle down and go to sleep? He is usually in his bed by 8 and lights out by 8:30/9.

I've read the books, tried leaving him in his room,crying, and nothing is working. So anything at this point would be helpful or else I'm gonna ground my self to my room for the night!

Oh wait, I might like that.

No left turns

I read this yesterday on FiddleDeeDee's blog.

It touched my soul so much that I emailed her and asked her if I could share her post with y'all. And being the gracious person she is, she said yes.

Here is what she wrote.

October 18th, 2009 by Fiddledeedee

My 85 year old aunt and I were chatting on the phone over the weekend. I dearly love to talk to her because a) she’s a hoot, and b) I can close my eyes and hear my mother in her voice.

We were discussing old folks who drive, and we talked about my grandparents driving habits. My Nanny couldn’t see over the steering wheel, so she drove only in an emergency. Like when she would run out of fresh lard and have to make a beeline to the Piggly Wiggly. But she absolutely hated to drive.

My aunt asked me if I’d ever heard the story about the old couple who never made a left turn. I started laughing because I go miles out of my way to avoid a left turn.

Because I’m secretly 90.

I hadn’t heard this particular story, so she sent it to me.

It made my day, and I wanted to share it with you all. Just in case you’re secretly 90 too. Or you know someone who is 90.

This piece was written by Michael Gartner, who in 1997 won a publitzer prize for his editorial work.

Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No Left Turns

My father never drove a car. Well, that’s not quite right. I should say I never saw him drive a car.

He quit driving in 1927, when he was 25 years old, and the last car he drove was a 1926 Whippet.

“In those days,” he told me when he was in his 90s, “to drive a car you had to do things with your hands, and do things with your feet, and look every which way, and I decided you could walk through life and enjoy it or drive through life and miss it.”

At which point my mother, a sometimes salty Irishwoman, chimed in: “Oh, bull—-!” she said. “He hit a
horse.”

“Well,” my father said, “there was that, too.”

So my brother and I grew up in a household without a car. The neighbors all had cars — the Kollingses next door had a green 1941Dodge, the VanLaninghams across the street a gray 1936 Plymouth , the Hopsons two doors down a black 1941 Ford — but we had none.

My father, a newspaperman in Des Moines , would take the streetcar to work and, often as not, walk the 3 miles home. If he took the streetcar home, my mother and brother and I would walk the three blocks to the streetcar stop, meet him and walk home together.

My brother, David, was born in 1935, and I was born in 1938, and sometimes, at dinner, we’d ask how come all the neighbors had cars but we had none. “No one in the family drives,” my mother would explain, and that was that.

But, sometimes, my father would say, “But as soon as one of you boys turns 16, we’ll get one.” It was as if he wasn’t sure which one of us would turn 16 first.

But, sure enough , my brother turned 16 before I did, so in 1951 my parents bought a used 1950 Chevrolet from a friend who ran the parts department at a Chevy dealership downtown.

It was a four-door, white model, stick shift, fender skirts, loaded with everything, and, since my parents didn’t drive, it more or less became my brother’s car.

Having a car but not being able to drive didn’t bother my father, but it didn’t make sense to my mother.

So in 1952, when she was 43 years old, she asked a friend to teach her to drive. She learned in a nearby cemetery, the place where I learned to drive the following year and where, a generation later, I took my two sons to practice driving. The cemetery probably was my father’s idea. “Who can your mother hurt in the cemetery?” I remember him saying more than once.

For the next 45 years or so, until she was 90, my mother was the driver in the family. Neither she nor my father had any sense of direction, but he loaded up on maps — though they seldom left the city limits — and
appointed himself navigator. It seemed to work.

Still, they both continued to walk a lot. My mother was a devout Catholic, and my father an equally devout agnostic, an arrangement that didn’t seem to bother either of them through their 75 years of marriage.

(Yes, 75 years, and they were deeply in love the entire time.)

He retired when he was 70, and nearly every morning for the next 20 years or so, he would walk with her the mile to St. Augustin’s Church.

She would walk down and sit in the front pew, and he would wait in the back until he saw which of the parish’s two priests was on duty that morning. If it was the pastor, my father then would go out and take a 2-mile walk, meeting my mother at the end of the service and walking her home.

If it was the assistant pastor, he’d take just a 1-mile walk and then head back to the church. He called the priests
“Father Fast” and “Father Slow.”

After he retired, my father almost always accompanied my mother whenever she drove anywhere, even if he had no reason to go along. If she were going to the beauty parlor, he’d sit in the car and read, or go take a
stroll or, if it was summer, have her keep the engine running so he could listen to the Cubs game on the radio. In the evening, then, when I’d stop by, he’d explain: “The Cubs lost again. The millionaire on second base made a bad throw to the millionaire on first base, so the multimillionaire on third base scored.”

If she were going to the grocery store, he would go along to carry the bags out — and to make sure she loaded up on ice cream. As I said, he was always the navigator, and once, when he was 95 and she was 88 and still driving, he said to me, “Do you want to know the secret of a long life?”

“I guess so,” I said, knowing it probably would be something bizarre.

“No left turns,” he said.

“What?” I asked.

“No left turns,” he repeated. “Several years ago, your mother and I read an article that said most accidents that old people are in happen when they turn left in front of oncoming traffic.

As you get older, your eyesight worsens, and you can lose your depth perception, it said. So your mother and I decided never again to make a left turn.”

“What?” I said again.

“No left turns,” he said…”Think about it. Three rights are the same as a left, and that’s a lot safer. So we always make three rights.”

“You’re kidding!” I said, and I turned to my mother for support.

“No,” she said, “your father is right. We make three rights. It works.”

But then she added: “Except when your father loses count.”

I was driving at the time, and I almost drove off the road as I started laughing.

“Loses count?” I asked.

“Yes,” my father admitted, “that sometimes happens. But it’s not a problem. You just make seven rights, and you’re okay again.”

I couldn’t resist. “Do you ever go for 11?” I asked.

“No,” he said ” If we miss it at seven, we just come home and call it a bad day. Besides, nothing in life is so
important it can’t be put off another day or another week.”

My mother was never in an accident, but one evening she handed me her car keys and said she had decided to quit driving.. That was in 1999, when she was 90.

She lived four more years, until 2003. My father died the next year, at 102.

They both died in the bungalow they had moved into in 1937 and bought a few years later for $3,000. (Sixty years later, my brother and I paid $8,000 to have a shower put in the tiny bathroom — the house had never had one.. My father would have died then and there if he knew the shower cost nearly three times what he paid for the house.)

He continued to walk daily — he had me get him a treadmill when he was 101 because he was afraid he’d fall on the icy sidewalks but wanted to keep exercising — and he was of sound mind and sound body until the moment he died.

One September afternoon in 2004, he and my son went with me when I had to give a talk in a neighboring town, and it was clear to all three of us that he was wearing out, though we had the usual wide-ranging conversation
about politics and newspapers and things in the news.

A few weeks earlier, he had told my son, “You know, Mike, the first hundred years are a lot easier than the second hundred.” At one point in our drive that Saturday, he said, “You know, I’m probably not going to live much longer.”

“You’re probably right,” I said.

“Why would you say that?” He countered, somewhat irritated.

“Because you’re 102 years old,” I said.

“Yes,” he said, “you’re right.” He stayed in bed all the next day.

That night, I suggested to my son and daughter that we sit up with him through the night.

He appreciated it, he said, though at one point, apparently seeing us look gloomy, he said: “I would like to make an announcement. No one in this room is dead yet.”

An hour or so later, he spoke his last words:

“I want you to know,” he said, clearly and lucidly, “that I am in no pain. I am very comfortable. And I have had as happy a life as anyone on this earth could ever have.”

A short time later, he died.

I miss him a lot, and I think about him a lot. I’ve wondered now and then how it was that my family and I were so lucky that he lived so long.

I can’t figure out if it was because he walked through life,

Or because he quit taking left turns.