I am the only one in my household not working today...or yesterday.  Yesterday I was in a post turkey daze.  So I spent it wandering my house, taking a nap, doing a bit of laundry, only venturing out to pick up some milk.  As soon as I walked into the Walgreens though I was met by only 10 minutes left of our 8 hour sale, this mascara is free after a rebate, how 'bout these watches?! 75 percent off!  AHHHHHH! 

I escaped with my milk and some dish soap. 

Liz finally got her scheduled fixed at work.  It's been three weeks of no hours or "just come in whenever",  because the computer has it she quit.  She finally went to the store manager and boy did he fix her.  She was given the hours of the Elizabeth that is no longer there.  She is working tomorrow, and Wednesday through Saturday next week.  It's good for her, her Choir is going to Texas during spring break.  We've paid for two past trips, she can help this year. Although the kid  is always generous with her money and her time.  That's what I like about her, her spirit of giving.  Now I need to teach her the spirit of saving.

Today I managed to get out to Curves.  I always mentally feel better when I go there.  Something about all those women, and all that bitching that makes me feel all warm inside.  Only thing is today a girl came in with her mom and sister who looked very familiar.  She was one of my little darlings from my route from hell last year.  She recognized me of course.  She is someone else rider this school year, but I heard on Tuesday that the sub had to take the bus back to the school because of their behavior.  They told my supervisior that they missed me because I let the do whatever they wanted.  Nice...

I  am getting my mind around the upcoming Christmas.  I always love the pictures of homes all decorated with greenary and lights.  Today it's 60 so I will be outside putting up some lights.  No ladder climbing though save that for the men.

Need to enjoy the weather though, a change is brewing ...by Thursday we will be back to the 30's ...

I am off....have a good one!

I will not be shopping today, I am not crazy!  I will be saving my Christmas shopping for my afternoon off, during the week.  Or better yet I will drag hubby out in the evening.  Over the years he has always (or I have taken this job on) expected me to shop for everyone including his sons.  I got sick of guessing at gifts and he happily (yeah right) comes now.  Although the boys are getting older and more difficult to buy for.  We usually think of something though. 

I dropped Liz at Kohl's this morning (7:30 am) and the parking lot was packed.  She should come home just beaming with  the spirit of Christmas and the Love of fellow man!

We had a very nice dinner yesterday.  My kids were here and we got to talk football and listen to the adventures of being single men (ICK! MEN??) in their twenty's.  Eric is definitely broke up with this high school sweetheart of 4 years.   He's words are he finally has his soul back.  hmmmmmm.

It was all I could do to stay awake, football talk, and turkey make me sleepy.  When the boys went to their dad's I took my dog for a walk,that snapped me out of it.  The evening was beautiful and my neighborhood peaceful.  Except for the tipsy couple taking their grandpa to the car, the lady was giggling loudly and grampas was doing his best to get to the car!  Thankfully for grampa he had other more sober folks to drive him home.

Ya gotta love the holidays!

Being a good parent involves instilling a certain amount of guilt in your children.  Mark's kids are feeling it, for missing out on Thanksgiving.  Matthew (who was recently baptist) called last evening making his normal excuses for only visiting his wife's family.  Jeremy called Mark today and invited us over on Sunday.  I figured they'd come around.  They do love their dad, but their mother is better at making them do what she wants them to do for the holidays.  Me?  I would rather be at the beach, the whole holiday season to me just seems so expensive and commercial.  I am working on the relationships rather than the stuff.

Got it?

My father called me from sunny Florida...he spent the day with my stepmom's ex's family.  I told you my family is weird.  He said it's been cold 50's...hee hee it's 60 here!

AND SUNNY!

And I am headed out to enjoy the weather!

happy cleaning, pie making, turkey day eve!

ok, this is my 3rd try my computer keeps shutting off.  so, no fancy stuff here...the brief lowdown...

spent the day cleaning and baking sara lee pies...

& defrosting my turkey....

no work until monday...yay!

my kids are coming tomorrow for dinner...

hubby's are not...

they are going to be with their mom...better luck next year...

hubby is working friday and saturday, unheard of at the company he works for...

yay!  grandma rose is going christmas shopping!

liz has to work friday and saturday at kohls, but early, (7 to 3) she's happy no cleaning up after the tornado of shoppers...

oh oh !!  the temperature tomorrow??!!  60 degrees!!  double yay

i'll close with a jacob funny...when he says his prayers at night he says..."God bless daddy, god bless mommy, god bless grandma and grandpa rose"...hee hee grandpa rose!

Hope you all have a very very happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

I am glad this week is over...I let things there get to me.  The girl that trained me to drive a school bus told me to go home, and NOT let the job bother me.  DONE!

I ordered  a cheap pizza, and now I am putting my feet up and work on a blanket I am making for Dayton...

Ah...........thank God for the weekend!

Dayton...baby drool!

Batman and Robin!

wow a week's gone by!

It's been a week since my last entry.  WOW! 

My stepson Jim is fine.  His truck is sitting in my driveway.  It was hit twice and is in pretty bad shape. The guy that hit him has no insurance, hell I doubt if he's a legal American citizen.  Jim he was behind on his truck payments so he had no insurance either. 

First let's back up.  Jim was staying at his brother Matt's house right after the accident.  They are only 13 months apart but ages apart in maturity.  Jim is the older, Matt acts older.  Mark stepped in & he invited Jim to stay here for awhile.  Jim is really not feeling like driving right now so he gets rides to the job sites, or he took Mark to work one day and drove to the job site, which was nearby.  I am leary about letting any of our kids driving any of our two cars for too long.  I know I was a bad adult/child (after my divorce I was, let's say "off" emotionally for about 3 years) and wrecked not only my own car, but my father's.  This was nearly 20 years ago, so I have outgrown that trait, especially after raising so many kids and driving children for a living.  You tend to be way more responsible and careful, at least I do. 

Anyway, Jim will most likely be here for a while, which is fine, he needs us for moral support.  Everyday we remind him to take life a day at a time, a step at a time. I actually need to realize that with so many children somebody will be back home at some point in my life.  We have plenty of room.  Funny thing is my brother and I both moved our children and us back in with my folks, history repeats itself.  And yesterday I had a sobbing Jacob telling me he wanted to stay at my house after he had just spent the day with me.  Tracey was helping her mom pack up here house, she has to have some major electricial work done and has to move out for awhile, so the kids spent the day with me.  I promised Jacob he could stay next weekend, alone with no brothers.  My kids spent a load a time with my mom and dad.  I guess being adored by grandkids is a grandma's purpose in life!

The feeling is mutual...

warm up...

Liz told me Friday night that she had no hours scheduled at work for this upcoming week.  I thought that was rather odd as she has worked every weekend and was only able to get off if she asked or gave her hours away.  I picked her up last night and she was fuming.  Seems when she clocked in one of the managers wanted to know why she was there, that she had quit!  Liz said "huh?!"  Seem the manager got her confused with two different employees a girl named Elizabeth who was on a week vacation and a girl whose last named started with an H like Liz's who had quit.  Whoa...so the boss says, " so liz you can work tomorrow 9 to 4.  Liz says, "no...I am here tonight until 12:30 am". The manager overruled and Liz went to work this morning.  This is all great experience for my kid.  If she gets tired of working retail she will work harder in school next year when she goes to College.  She is going to a nearby Junior college.  I learned that expensive lesson with her older brothers that not all children are ready to be shipped off to a four year school.  Liz is an average student, but hates math, loves english.  She would love to teach, so here you go kid, work hard and get a good education.  For some of us retail sucks, people are slobs and rude.  She told me today that she worked the kids department and kids were throwing clothes everywhere, or one mom was smacking her kid.  But with everything in life the kid gets to learn a whole lot about the working world.

Dayton & Dakota...Kota always has a ouchy somewhere on his head!

Friday morning I was dozing.  The grandkids had been up late and Dakota is a very restless sleeper.  It takes forever for the kid to give it up and then he moans & rolls around until he goes into a deep sleep.  While I was dozing I heard he was awake & I kept saying, "Koda what are you doing?"  he'd say, "I night night".  So I left him be night night.  Soon Liz comes flying in the room telling me I needed to call my husband as "im" (either my son Tim orMark's son Jim) had been in an accident.  The cell phone line was bad so she couldn't tell which kid.  I ran to the phone.  It was my stepson Jim, his pick up truck  had been hit by a car that had ran a red light.  All the brothers work together so Matt came to the scene.  I called the hospital as Mark was very upset & at work driving his dump truck.  By this time Jim was released his mom came and got him,as I had the boys.  His truck is totaled.  But he is ok.  Geez, it's hard to let your kids grow up and be adults...they still are my heart even if he's my stepson, I've been his mom for 12 years.  But hopefully this will wake this kid up.  He's been burning the candle at both ends.  Last winter his Christmas present was me paying his electric bill.  He makes great pay as a heavy machine operator, but has no skills in budgeting.  The brother that came to the scene, Matt, has a home, a wife and a savings account.  I think he is going to try and convince his brother to wake up and take responsibility for his life.  It's not all about partying.  Jim's nearly 27...

:::SIGH:::  Sometimes you just gotta step back and trust the powers that be...we all have our own time and season to learn what life is about.  But it's hard to stand back and watch....heck I am not that good at it yet either!

Jacob working....

 

~Kids, concerts and COLD~

There was no school on Friday so I asked Tracey if I could take the kids for the night.  I ended up with only 2, Jacob and Dakota.  Which was fine.  Liz had her concert at school so Mark and I took the boys.  They were absolute angels!  I gave them each a small box of raisins so that kept their hands busy during the slow songs, but during the upbeat ones Dakota bobbed his head, he loves to dance so I imagine he really enjoyed the music.  Their parents were very pleased as Tracey would like to take them to the Paramont Arts center, which has holiday shows each year.  She is such a great mother, the kids have learned so much with her home all day. 

Yesterday Tracey brought Dayton and ran some errands.  I even got the kids to take a nap.  I had planned on going to the park, but the 20 degree temperature kept us indoors.  No matter there's always playdough and monster trucks.  Oh yeah that kitty cat Ike sure does like a good scratch from the little guys!

This picture is from two summers ago.  Jacob was just 2 when he got this power wheel motorcycle for his birthday.  Dakota was only 7 months old, but his brother took good care of his little bro...I just love this photo...