Wow!

Wow! This day has gone by fast. Maybe being gone an extra day or two out of the week helps pile up the mail creating extra work that actually keeps me busy. Either that or I'm just too efficient. I love having lots and lots of paperwork! (I know I'm a geek but if I don't feel productive I'm not happy.)

I was feeling depressed last night at bedtime. I don't know why. Maybe it's this cold weather? Maybe it's from coming down off of all the holiday fun and events over the last four days just getting to me with the beginning of a new work week? I dunno. I've been okay during the day today, probably cause I've been busy but now that I am not, it's coming back. I say that because I would normally say I am looking forward to getting off to go home - which I am but I'm not if that makes any sense. You see, it's Charlie's first day of school for the new semester tonight so I won't get to see him until really late and the kids won't get to see him at all. Of course don't get me wrong, I do look forward to the kids and the dog (who all endlessly love me the first five minutes I'm home) but making dinner is always much more fun when he and I do it together. It's also nice when we eat together as a family. It's just too quiet around there without him. TTFN, hopefully tomorrow will be a better day and I won't be so hum drum.

I gotta hand it to him

My husband is too kind. I know if I were in his shoes, I wouldn't be as strong as he is. This weekend we went to a surprise birthday party for an old friend of mine. Well the friend I am talking about was friends with me when I was with the ex. In fact this friend had actually gone to school with the ex. So at this party everyone has now and again brought up the ex's name or talked about the boys when they were young etc. Well this being the past that Charlie was never involved at that time, you'd think it would bother him that people don't think about it the way we do - the past, all is forgotten. But he doesn't seem to let it bother him. I always wondered how I would do as a step mom but I don't think I could do it as well has he has being a step dad. I don't know if I could take kids who have a different mother and try my hardest to be a mom to them into the relationship without feeling highly uncomfortable. So I gotta give Charlie some appreciation cause I don't know how he does it without feeling so "out of place" when we are at parties like that or when my family has from time to time mentioned the ex or something from the past that excludes him. I know I wouldn't want to hear about his ex or what she did or people asking about where she is (Yes, people come right out and ask me all too often about my ex and what he is up to...and the nerve of them - why would I know or care anyway? - He's my ex for God's sake!). I'd be a little pissed after a while, but I guess that's what to expect with a mixed family with a past behind them. (All but the asking about the ex part anyway.)

Thanksgiving wrap up

Our Thanksgiving weekend is going well, all but one incident. Shortly after eating dinner, Savannah had to go to the emergency room. We were all sitting around visiting about to watch a movie and Savannah was playing with one of Grandma's pillows from her new couches and was rolling around on the floor wrestling and tackling it like she does to the boys. All of a sudden she started to cry like I've never heard her cry before. Jacob said he had heard something pop, and that's when she started to wail. I picked her up thinking she had popped the joints in her fingers and went to kiss them better but she just screamed holding her wrist. Poor little thing! Our first thought was that she either sprained her wrist or broke something since she was in so much pain. Charlie (knowing what to do) instantly immobilized her arm to relieve the pain and held it tight to her chest as we ran off to the hospital. Luckily mom only lives about a mile away so we were there and back within a half an hour. She had dislocated her elbow from the socket. The doctor popped it back in and she was as good as new, a little sad, but she wasn't in any more pain. Scare the crap out of me! And here we are thinking of having another?

To wrap up the rest of this weekend, yesterday we put up the tree, today we'll go window shopping and to a birthday party, and tomorrow is Harry Potter! I wish we could have four day weekends all the time! But then again, it's not always fun to be so busy either!

Holiday weekend plans

Well here we are. The day before Thanksgiving. The "Friday" of the work week (for me and my family anyway.) The boys are actually out of school today, lucky dogs. Speaking of school, WOO HOO! Congratulations to my husband for completing yet another semester at school! This week has been nice in that he has a break between semesters on a holiday week when we both have time off of work. So it's basically party time, well it will be after we get off work tonight!

So it's funny when you think about teenagers and some of the things they do and say. My boys, although 14 and 16, are still just little kids inside as they are excited for the holidays. Jacob said to me the other night, "Mom, I'm not going to eat for two days so that way I'll be hungry for Thanksgiving dinner." I told him there wasn't any way he was fasting for two days! A couple of weeks before that he overheard my talking to my mom about Thanksgiving plans and said, "Mom are we having Thanksgiving at Grandma's this year?" After I told him, "Yes," he then said, "I can't wait to taste Grandma's turkey. I'll bet it will be so good." Now this excited little boy named Jacob I can see, he's always my little boy, but even Michael is into it. He surprised me when I asked him what I should take out of the freezer for dinner, "Nothing, because it's Thanksgiving." Also a few weeks ago he had asked me about where we were having dinner so I told him at Grandma's and mentioned that his cousin, Alex who is his age, will be there. He said, "Cool!" So to me it sounds like they both are really looking forward to it reminding me that they are still my little boys deep down inside.

The Friday after Thanksgiving is the traditional day we get our Christmas tree. It used to be the day that the boys and I would put up the pre-lit artificial tree, but since I'm no longer single and remarried we now get live trees. It's so nostalgic and the kids just love it that I know they are really looking forward to it. The only problem is the guy we bought from last year isn't open yet and we're afraid he's out of the tree selling business. We really liked his trees since they were fresh cut the week before he sold them. They weren't as expensive as the regular lots and he's not too far from our house. So I'm afraid we'll end up buying one of those dried up fire hazards at the grocery store lot. Personally I don't like to buy live trees. There is no sense in cutting a perfectly live tree to store it in the house for a month and then throw away. It just makes no sense and makes me feel bad. But I do like the smell they have and it always reminds me of when I was little so I guess for now while the kids are still growing we'll be getting real trees and maybe I can talk my husband into a pre-lit artificial tree after they are grown and gone.

This weekend we are planning to go see Harry Potter. I'm sure it will be sold out so I plan to buy the tickets ahead of time online just to be safe. The boys also got really excited about that when I told them we were going. Savannah will be staying back with Grandma and will have fun chasing her cats around that actually let her catch them. Our cats are never catch worthy, not even for us adults. They are losers when it comes to pet-quality.

Sunday we will visit with my old friends, Shaun & Lauri, who will be in town because of the holiday. It will be nice to see them again since it's been over a year since we saw them last. I hope they haven't changed too much. It seems that when people move away the distance in time and miles between you both everyone grows apart. And I'm sure they haven't changed as much as I have, this I know. Since they moved to Montana, I've gotten married, bought a house, and had a baby. My life is much different now than when they lived here. I will enjoy seeing them nonetheless.

That's our weekend in a nutshell!

Better the second time around.

I made chili on Sunday night but it didn't turn out like it normally did - probably because I forgot some of the ingredients at the store - but it still turned out okay. So today for lunch I had...you guessed it, leftover chili! My husband is right. Chili is always the best after it's had a chance to sit for a couple of days. Needless to say I had a good lunch!

As a side note, let me tell you a funny story about Savannah. The night we had chili she was bound and determined it was hot immediately after she took her bite. Let me explain though. The chili was cooled off to room temperature and she has always eaten our chili previous to this and has never complained. She is constantly sticking her fingers in salsa and hot sauce at the restaurant and eating it plain. So this I don't get. Our chili is not spicy, not as spicy as we could enjoy it. We make it mild just for the sake of Boo's and Jake of course (he used to think think toothpaste and mint gum was hot).

Let me get to the point now. Savannah has been on this kick lately of saying "hot" everytime we serve her dinner. I admit that it usually will need to be blown on and cooled down as I warn her saying the word "hot" so that she doesn't dig right in just in case it's too hot. So she's careful now and says "hot" before she blows on her food and takes a bite. Now the funny part of this story is that when she saw that I had a small glass of eggnog last night, she of course wanted a taste of it (just like she does everything she sees anyone eating outside of the dinner table). So I gave her just a sip. She takes her sip and pulls away from the glass really fast and then looks at me while shaking her head, "Hot!" It was so funny. Eggnog has spices in it and I guess she can taste them and so she thinks they are hot. I thought she would have liked it but she didn't want anymore after that. Funny! I think we have a second Jake on our hands.

Yay! A short week!

I love the holidays and celebrating them, but most importantly I love them for the time I get off at work! I know my brother, Marty, is thinking to himself as he reads this, "Yeah sure, "cardboard cut-out" government state worker that gets a holiday for taking a crap." But I get the holiday off for Thanksgiving just like anyone else and even though I am taking the day off after, I still have to use my vacation time for it. So see Marty I'm not as big of a slacker as you like to make us state workers out to be!

I think the real reason I love holidays though is that they give me extra time to spend with my family who I love dearly. I'm talking about all of my family, not just my immediate family. I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year since it will be at Mom's and not to mention the fact that Mom is making the turkey. I haven't had Thanksgiving at Mom's for I don't know how long. The boys are really excited too. It seems like it was when they and the other grandkids were still little we would got together more often but since most of the kids have grown up, there doesn't seem to be as much time spent together. I don't know, maybe it's just my imagination.

My sister, Monica, and her family will be there, my family, and my brother John and his wife. Maybe there will be more show up for pie. I only hope Mom is looking forward to it as well since I know this year will be the most different for her since she will be home both for Thanksgiving and for Christmas the first time without Dad. I hope her cruise she and my sisters take in between the two holidays will allow her to make some neat memories that will help her cope.

I've seen other people recently list what they are thankful of for the holiday on their blogs. I'd like to make one this year, I never do and it will be good to have a perspective on it since it is the whole reason we celebrate it. In the meantime while I work on my list, I'd like to hear one or two things from anyone out there reading this that you are thankful for to help bring about the spirit.

I am thankful for...

(In no particular order and only pertaining to this moment and time. Is subject to change!)

1. Ibuprofen
2. My auto mechanic brothers
3. Cookies
4. My boys
5. My husband
6. My lawn
7. My mom
8. My job
9. My house
10. Holidays!

Lights Up

We've been putting up our Christmas lights this weekend. It's a litte earlier than I wanted (I usually don't do any Chirstmas decorations until the day after Thanksgiving) but the weather is so beautiful, how can we pass up the chance? Anyway, last year we skipped it all together and it just wasn't as fun, so here we are putting up the dang lights! (Or I should say my husband. He does most of the work, I just put the ones on the porch.) Well I'm off to get Savannah a PB&J for lunch...be back with some pics of the lights when they're all done!











You can see by the look on Savannah's face that she's not too happy playing the part of the pretend Christmas Tree! She's like, "Why are you doing this?"

Am I bad?

Am I bad cause I work full time and don't stay home with Savannah everyday? Well I feel bad. As I just got done taking a minute to read blogs, I've come to realize that I feel jealous of the blogging stay-at-home moms that write about every little happening with thier kids in exact detail as it just happened that day. Me? I'm just stuck here at work and blog when I get time or need to get something off my chest. I started this job when I was single with two half grown boys and needed it cause there was no other means for support. I also needed to plan for retirement and have always wanted a career in accounting. Since then I've met a wonderful husband and now have a young family started again. Normally I am proud that I work and love having a career. But today I feel jealous. I want to be home with Savannah and play on the floor acting silly with her giving her horsey rides. I want to be able to tell people that she is happy when just Daddy comes home, not both of us. I only feel sorry for myself sometimes and I know that there would be one day without each of us going nuts being at home, me without my work and Savannah without playmates. But next week is a short week for Thanksgiving, so I just wanted to rag about it for a minute and thanks for listening. (And maybe it's the fact that it's a sunny day outside and half of my team has left early for work. Plus I'm all caught up for the day. I know, I'm too damned efficient.)

On the other hand, I am really feeling more and more like I belong at this office. Finally. As time goes by it feels as if I've known everyone all along. Even the director of Finance chatted with me about everyday stuff at potluck lunch. My husband would be embarrassed to know that we were talking about him, but oh well. Now the only thing left that I need is my silly friend Lisa to help me sing old country songs out loud while we are working!

Good Job Michael!

I just wanted to say how much Michael has improved his grades this year so far. This is really good considering that last year he had at least one or more failing grades in some of his classes, and that was throughout the whole year. This time he didn't even get anything lower than a C-! Good job! (Of course making him wait to get his license hasn't encouraged him at all...that and a hard working job on the farm for the summer. ) We told him that if he weren't to graduate he should get used to working a hard job like that with little pay. He has told us that keeps his mind focused on getting that diploma because he doesn't want to end up in a job like that out of high school. Just goes to show that a little discipline and rules can go a long way, especially with teenagers who are so easily apt to get out of hand. I need to give Charlie a lot of the credit though. I think he has been good for both of the boys and helps keep them focused on their future. He will be the only dad to them they'll ever know. He is good at talking with them about man stuff that I can't relate to them with since I've never been and never will be a boy. (Duh.) In so many ways I really wish he would have been around sooner when the boys were younger. Michael has been through a lot with my divorce and all, he has struggled with his emotions and dealing with the fact that is father is felon in prison with no intent to have and hold a real relationship with him. So this past summer up until now has really been a good eye opener for him and I hope he is prepared to be on his own come time to do so.

Remembering

Since Dad has died, certain times of the day on the weekends will trigger memories of when I was a kid. It seems that what went on during a typical Saturday or a Sunday is what comes to my mind most. On Saturday mornings I will often remember Dad with his music playing loudly and him frying potatoes for breakfast. The smell of bacon and eggs cooking on the stove was present and the stereo would be playing Mexican ballads, Johnny Cash, or stuff like the theme to "The Good, Bad, and Ugly." Dad would be so lively on those mornings and grumble at me for not saying "Good Morning" back as he read the newspaper in his chair. I wasn't a morning person, but he was and everyone else needed to be too! It all makes me laugh now and I wish I was more of a morning person like he was.

Today the memory I have is of when the whole family would go for a ride up the canyon on Sundays. I don't know how often we went on these rides, but there is this one event that sticks out in my mind the most as it is so vivid. I remember getting home from church and mom and dad packing the pot roast and vegetables in the big black roasting pan right out of the oven and into the car. We would head out for a scenic ride up the canyon and a quck picnic out in the woods. Cascade Springs, the fish hatchery, and drives around the expensive neighborhoods are just a few other rides to mention. I hope to do the same thing with my own family more often to continue to share the memories I had of my childhood and maybe we'll bring along our pot roast too!

Halloween

Halloween was great. The weather was nice, there were plenty of kids in the neighborhood running around making the spirit alive, and our jack o'lanterns didn't wilt for once. I think because they are so big they are apt to take the heat of the candle a bit better, that and we just carved them on Sunday night (I know - we got off to a late start). Savannah didn't know what to think at first but she got the idea soon enough after the first few pieces of candy. When she got home she enjoyed transferring her candy from her bucket to the Halloween bowl that the trick or treaters emptied.

I can't believe how many trick or treaters we had this year! In years past we've either been at mom's or the neighborhood had it in the church parking lot AKA Trunk or Treat - another Happy Valley tradition for a Sunday holiday - so we were never home to really gauge what it would be like. We bought quite a bit of candy but still ran out about 7:00. I have never seen so many Darth Vaders in my life! I think my favorites were the Star Wars family (Mom, Dad and two sons dressed all in theme), Scooby Doo, and the miniature doctor. My brother and his family did a good job too. I couldn't stop cracking up at his Napoleon Dynamite impression! Overall, I think this has been the best Halloween in a long time! Hope it was all good for you out there.