Big Bed

The choice was made a few weeks ago to purchase a new mattress. We looked at ads and made a few stops here and there just to get ideas of what we were looking for. My husband decided that the Queen size bed would be upgraded to a King size. I was a little shocked by that as we had went from a King to a Queen years ago to free up some space in our bedroom. I think he was just tired of falling out of bed because his cat feels the need to take up so much space.
I was able to hold him off long enough to paint the spare bedroom in anticipation of moving the existing bed to the spare room. That was done by Friday night. We had some errands to run on Saturday and some residual things to deliver to my daughters new home. Afterward my plan was to go home and organize things in the spare room. "Did you want to take a run out to Colders and check out the mattress's" was not what I was expecting to hear. I agreed but with the intent that we were only looking.
Two hours later we walked out of Colders with nothing. They have a "deal" going on. Whatever you spend you get back in store credit to spend on whatever you want. We found a mattress which I thought was very over priced. Walked around the store looking for what we could use the credit for. Everything we found was jacked up in price so much it was almost a crime to assume you were getting it for free. We took the salesman's card, thanked him for his time and said we needed some time to look around.
Off we went to a popular stores newly opened outlet store. Saw the same mattress for a much lower price. The problem was we also needed a headboard. Saw nothing that caught my eye. The store was closing so we took note of the pricing and decided to look around a little more. As we were leaving, husband noted that we had seen some mattresses at Menard's a few weeks ago. I thought they may have been the same one we had just looked at. Didn't hurt to drive across the street and check it out. It was indeed the said mattress and $700.00 cheaper than the first store with an 11% rebate. We stood and wondered if we'd be able to live down purchasing a mattress from Menard's. With the savings we would have been foolish not to purchase it. The only thing lacking was the free delivery. I'm just saying that one of these days this old workhorse is not going to be able to help Paul Bunyan haul furniture around any more.
It is comfy and very roomy and I have slept wonderfully the past two nights.

ADD?

I think I have it today. I'm easily being distracted from one I thought was a carefully laid out plan. Painting the spare bedroom. Maybe I'm lax because the past few times I tackled the said room and had it how I wanted it, someone came forward with a need for a place to stay. It may be a curse that goes with the house.

I recall my parents having only three children left at home and deciding to make the smaller bedroom into a playroom for my younger sisters. Brother was in one of the two basement bedrooms at the time. About the time it was completed my marriage fell apart and being 8 months pregnant was told to come home. After my one year stay they fixed up the room again only to have my grandfather need a temporary place to stay. A few years later came my niece. I think they gave up after that because when we bought the house the smaller bedroom still had the Ernie & Bert wallpaper on one wall. The room I'm currently painting has housed my brother three times, my middle brother for a few months, my older brother a few times and most recently my daughter and her kids. There were a few brief stays by my sister and her children also. It's been a revolving door for those in need. I can't say it will never happen again because sometimes my heart is just to big.

As I'm painting today I'm seeing traces of past colors. A dusty rose from when I painted after one of my brothers stays. Dark green from my daughter's teen years, purple from who knows what and most recently yellow which was the last time it was empty. I'm done with two walls and the closet right now and wondering dare I go further? Of course I'll finish the room, move the furniture back in that was moved out for the last guests and nervously await the next arrival. Whomever it may be I only hope that this person will have the ability to someday get back on their own two feet.

The Uniform

The company I work for is huge. Our little division inside the Wauwatosa building is a small little spec on big map of world wide divisions . There are a total of 20 people in the division, with 5 of them being upper management and sales and five being middle management. We take up about half the building. Our US corporate offices are located here also. We also house the directors of EHS and the CEO of the US companies.
The head of EHS travels a lot and sees other production areas. She has been on a kick for years to have us wear uniforms. We are the only division that does material conversion. A huge percentage of the other plants produce all forms of adhesives, grout and oil based products. These people perform entirely different functions than this division. We do not come in direct contact with the adhesives we use as they are pumped directly from drums in to melters and directly into machines you're running. The operators wear cotton sleeves and heat resistant gloves when working near the hot adhesive. Our previous CEO saw no reason for production operators in this division to wear a uniform. He felt it an unnecessary expense and felt PPE was appropriate for the job. He especially felt no need for QC or management to wear uniforms. The new CEO took over as of January 1st. We knew Ms. EHS would get to him. He has only been at this plant for 6 months with all his previous experience being in Georgia and has probably been physically in our area two to three times. One of the first things she hit him up with was uniforms. He is huge on safety and ordered it done. The management on this end balked about it but being up against this EHS woman is like beating a dead horse.
The uniform fittings have been rescheduled three times already due to people being out. I am willing to bet that they will be rescheduled again today as two operators have called in sick today. I'm really saddened by this.

Top Five

Milwaukee is listed as one of the top five cities to find love. I believe they are #2 on the list with San Antonio being #1. I wonder if they mean actual love and a meaningful relationship or just a brief affair. Could the summer months be bringing the rating up? Just saying, with all the festivals and concerts during those months, it could have really brought the ratings up. Then again, the winters are long and cold. At any rate, we were finally top five in something else beside biggest drinkers, most obese and most crime.


I have two major goals this week. Look for a new eye doctor and a new dentist. I like my dentist. He is located very close to my home and I've been going to him for around 6 years now. Love the hygienist-my problem is his assistant. She's not very gentle and will ask me a million questions when my mouth is full of tubes and clamps. I'll always ask for the hygienist to do the X-rays rather than suffer through the DA doing them. The dentist seems to get a little irate with her at times so I can't quite put my finger on why she's there. As far as the eye doctor-I need to find someone who can get this contact thing right. I went through 4 different types of contacts and still couldn't see. Then he just plain,flat-out gave up on me. I am not the only near sighted/far sighted person in this world so I shall move forward with this.

-2

I know I shouldn't complain about the cold. After all I choose to live in Wisconsin. But damn it was nippy at 4am this morning. It is the kind of cold that just slaps you in the face. My temperature in my car read -2 when I left for work. Between the Hale & Zoo it climbed up to 1 and then stayed there. At least the wind is mild, keeping the wind chill at bay. If the forecast holds true-tomorrow will be a better day.

We had Monday off in exchange for Friday this week. Now that it's Friday I wish I would have taken a vacation day. I'll admit I am spoiled and as tired as I am from Monday through Thursday it is worth having the three day weekend. I enjoy the Friday's as it's a day to myself. It's usually spent running errands and catching up on housework, but I'm on my own schedule. My chores are done more efficiently without anyone under foot.

I did get a little behind this week with having some down time due to a run in with some flu like issues. This started on Tuesday and this morning I finally feel like I can eat something without worshiping the toilet bowl afterwards. I was safe with the toast I ate yesterday. Took it easy on dinner last night although I don't think a taco was the best choice. So now I'm in the hungry but guarded mode. I was really hoping someone would bring in doughnuts today. That would be yummy right about now. Then again, I should probably stick with the toast for another day just to be on the safe side. By that time the doughnuts will be off my mind.

Now What?

Sunday's Superbowl turned out to be a great game, with great friends, and as usual yummy food. Not to mention the win by the Packers. I feel blessed that I have been able to see the Packers go to the Superbowl 5 times in my life time (counting the loss). Hate to admit that I was old enough to watch the first one. Couldn't tell you much else beside I watched it with my dad and brothers and remember my dad being very excited.

The entertainment after the game was equally as good as the game itself. There were some snow angels after the win that still have me shivering. Note to self:next year bring extra clothes. Somewhere along the line my brother and my husband became completely stinking drunk (for lack of any better word to describe their condition). I noticed my husband getting quite chattery, which he does when he drinks, and mentioned slowing it down a little. I got the "look" so I figured I wasn't the one who was going to suffer for this. They were entertaining to a point but then it was time to call it a night. My brother has secretly voiced his concern about blowing a candle out and splattering some wax. At the time I didn't think much of it but upon seeing it the next morning you would think the guy took a leaf blower to the candle. He's got some cleaning to do. There is green wax splattered up a wall and actually made it to the picture a few feet above it.
My husband sat in his chair all day yesterday-taking a few naps-and I don't think he got out of it until 7pm. Looks like this is going to be a slow recovery for him.

It was a great season that extended our normal football watching just a bit longer this year. I remember feeling some dread after the new year that football for me might have been over. Thank you Green Bay Packers for an exciting,winning season.

This hype will end soon and we'll enter the last few months of winter in Wisconsin. I'm on the fence about a trip to Arizona in May. I could use a sneak peak of summer and May is a great time to go. Other than that I need to find ways to make the last few months of this season go by faster. May be doing some much needed painting in the now vacant bedrooms in our house. Could be jinxing myself with that as it seems that each time we fix up those rooms someone moves in. It was suggested that we just seal up the rooms.

The Song

It's the little things in life that jog your memories of someone who has passed. I see little old men scrunched over their steering wheels and think of my Grandpa. Never without a cigar while driving. One of the most influential men in my life. He was the base of our family. Always stern when need be but spoiled us rotten when the parent's weren't looking. And Lord help the person that messed with one of his grandchildren. He had your back whether you were right or wrong. Grandpa accepted and loved you for who you were.

I hear certain songs and watch certain TV shows and think of my brother. Always the comedian no matter what the situation. Another accepting person who loved you for who you were. Taken to young and 2 1/2 years later I'm still waiting for his phone calls and still waiting for him to come pulling in our driveway. This was a tough one and will take some mending time.

And then there is Randy. Football jogs my memory. Camping does it also. Work does it. Certain songs do it. This morning I thought it was great that American Pie was on the radio. A tribute to a great friend. You will be forever in my heart. Thanks for all the great memories. I miss you still.

First Flakes

I walked outside for work this morning and saw the first flakes of the predicted winter storm we will soon be in the midst of. Well, of course, that is if the jet stream goes this way or that way and the air coming down from Canada stretches this far south. I must not have been listening very closely to the weather because I was under the impression that this was not starting until tomorrow afternoon. Apparently we could receive up to 8 inches of snow today. Tuesday into Wednesday is when the blizzard conditions are probable. I might actually have a snow day.

I've worked here for 10 years now and can't recall one snow or weather related closure. We've received several notifications this season from our companies on the east coast and in the south that have been closed for weather conditions. We've always been told "if you can make it in safely then come in". Seeing as the employees here are scattered in all directions it's hard to put a handle on "safely". The guy that lives in Kenosha is 2 miles off the freeway and therefore is here regardless of the snow. The guy that lives in Muskego and is side roads most of the way has been known to be late or not here due to weather conditions. The guy on 98th& SilverSpring is usually off. He lives the closest, but they will always judge by the Kenosha guy. I've made it every time as I'm not to far off the freeway which is usually plowed and not populated when I'm coming in. I'm not worried about the ride in. I just don't want to be stranded in rush hour on my way home.

In preparation for this I will pack my boots, wear my gloves and find a shovel to throw in my truck. Also better put a shovel in the porch so we don't get snowed in. Just wish I had a TV at work to watch all the reporters posted around town. That is by far the best part of the storms.

Sorry

Let me start off by apologizing for every time I have been crabby and brought other people down. I know there are people who can bring me out of it pretty fast, and I don't think it takes me long to realize I'm affecting others so I'll focus on good things and try to save the crabbiness for when I'm alone.

I have worked with a certain girl for over 8 years now. She is by far the moodiest person I know. She is miserable and therefore feels every one around her should also be. Lana has her happy days but they don't last real long. There have been several opportunities for her to advance from her operators position which I have prompted her to go for. The answers are always the same "Why should I, nothing will be any different" She will continue on to tell me that she always gets screwed no matter what she does. This is a girl with some serious self-confidence and low moral issues.

I knew it was going to be another one of those days when she came in and told me that I was parked a little past the yellow lines. Who cares? I was in the first spot and my tire was slightly on the yellow line. It was the first spot with no one to the left of me. All I did was give the person to the right of me a little more space. In her opinion I screwed up the entire parking lot. Next up was bitching about the soda bottle that was in her spot in the fridge. We do not have assigned parking nor assigned soda spots in the fridge. I just witnessed her rampage with the other operators on the floor (all men) and had to walk away. I feel sorry for these guys as they try to help her out and get snide comments and nasty looks.

On the flip side-she is a good friend and it has taken a long time to reach that status in her book. I enjoy spending time out of work with her. I think it may be time for a change in her life.

The girl needs help!

Way to Go

I wanted to stay home today. When my alarm went off at 3 am the thought of getting up and turning it off came to mind. Then I let my senses take over and stayed upright and made my way through the morning routine and on to work. We are back on 10 hour days now with the plus of having Friday off. I shall make it through my week with that plus on my mind.
I love the Fridays off. It means a day to myself. A day to catch up on things around the house that are neglected during the week. Sometimes its not much of a me day, but it's an added day to not wake up to an alarm clock (beside my husbands).

Yesterday proved to be an excellent day. We traveled out for the game with the group. I'm thinking I may not be the only one who is lacking their full voice this morning. Packers pulled off the win and will now advance. It has been a very exciting season. The thrill was the interception in the end zone that brought everyone in the bar to their feet. Lot of yelling and high-fives going on. What a great feeling and a sigh of relief. Seconds before that-it was pretty silent.
Go Packers!

We have some Monday morning MIA people today. I'm assuming most of them due to the Packer game. All the production people are here-we're lacking management. However, the show must go on.

Final Day Off

I call this the recovery day. The house is quiet except for the occasional scurrying of a cat and yawning and repositioning of Sadie. Not sure they like me being home and upsetting their daily routines.
I should call it the "me" day. This is after I looked around at the Christmas decorations and things piled into the spare room. Do I want to spend my last off day tackling that mess or just putter around and do a few things.
#1 on my list is to get all these cookies out of my house. I'll be packing up two containers, one for each of us to take to work tomorrow. There are some hungry guys at my work who will gobble them down. I may pack up three and bring one in mid-week. All I know is they need to get out of this house.
#2 on my list is to tackle the laundry chute that seems to have doubled in size since I looked yesterday. This can only mean that my loving husband saved up a ton of dirty clothes and threw them all down today.
#3 on my list is to try the new Wii Zumba. This could be fun.
#4 on my list is to take a trip to Goodwill to drop off a few bags of clothes that my husband cleaned out of his closet.
#5 on my list is to make some type of dinner that doesn't involve ham, roast beef, polish sausage or meatballs.

This is all heading toward the direction of a non-me day.

2010 At a Glance

Kept the same job-with added responsibilities and a small raise, but am thankful I remained employed.

Health is good-had all the yearly tests required with good results.

Husband remained employed, although it was a little shaky for a while.

Kept my friends-every single one of them, which I am thankful every day to have. And made a few new ones.

Walked with my friend to celebrate her 4th free year (and many more to come)

Joined a zumba class.

Family is healthy and for the most part all employed.

Laughed with my friends over silly things.

Cried with my friends over sadness.

Comforted and was comforted by my friends.

Went to several Brewer games (not as many as I wanted to)

Enjoyed Summerfest.

Enjoyed State Fair

Went fishing.

Took a mini vacation this year camping which was enjoyable, although some one didn't come and due to work restraints someone had to cut out early. They were missed.

My daughter is doing much better and has moved out of the house. Although I worry about her, she seems happier than she has been in years. The girls are happy and in good hands, so I guess Grandma needs to relax a little.

Went to numerous baseball and football games in which Dylan played. I'm so very thankful that I am able to watch his games, and that he is able to participate.

We lost one of our cats this year after only having him one year. It's shocking how much impact this one little guy had on us. Still miss him, but am thankful for the time we were able to give him a home.

Gained a cat this year. My daughter is not able to have her cat where she is living so she stayed on with us. Not as friendly as the one we lost but with some attention she's coming around.

Bought a new fridge after ours died while we were camping. Also bought a new sump pump two days after that.

Husband still hasn't completely finished off the porch, but he's getting there.

Turned to sand pit into a swimming area. Purchased a pool that turned green because no one took care of it. I think the project for 2011 will be a giant fire pit with seating. That's my dream.

There were no babies born in our family this year.

Celebrated my mother's 75th birthday with a party at our house. So very thankful for that.

Stupidly didn't book the Vegas trip with my friends. Will try to smarten up by the next planned trip.

Once again spent more on Christmas than I planned, but hey..it's once a year.

Arnie got a new cell phone.

Arnie got Wheel of Fortune for the Wii

Try as I might I just can't keep someone out of first place playing Wheel on facebook.

Watched my son become more gainfully employed. A huge break he needed and deserved. A lot of hard work is paying off for him.

I have a lot to be thankful for as this year comes to an end. I'm just glad to be sharing it with people I enjoy and are blessed to have in my life.

Happy New Year...everyone please be careful out there. Bring on 2011.

Christmas 2010

I started Christmas shopping around the first week of November. I took advantage of ordering some things on-line, but ended up going to stores for about 1/2 of what I bought. I thought I started early enough to be done a week or so before Christmas, but there I was out there two days before for a last few items.
The cookies were baked, the tree decorated, the outside 50% done and gifts wrapped by the 22nd. Then came the two days of cooking and preparing for Christmas Eve and Day. All went well.
The family Christmas Eve was hosted by Ben & Gambino this year. My compliments for a very fun & enjoyable family gathering. The kids (and my 40 year old sister) were occupied with crafts in the upper level of the home. A great idea as it kept them from sitting on the couch staring at the gifts under the tree. The food was yummy, especially the home made mac & cheese. The gift opening went great. Didn't get to see to much of what people as it did get a little hectic for a few minutes there.
My husband managed to make it through the night although fighting a horrible cold. I wasn't sure he'd made the event as he sounded terrible and being a stubborn man opted out of taking anything for his illness.
After not to late of a night we headed home to get some rest before round two of Christmas started. It's always a hassle getting my kids and grand kids and mother-in-law over at the same time, but it worked out great. I filled their stomachs with lots of food and off we went to the chaos of opening gifts. From the mound of gifts I thought it would take at least a few minutes. I thought of making them open one gift at a time, but as a kid, what fun would that be? I sat and watched the utter chaos and smiles and kidding and couldn't think of anywhere else I wanted to be at the moment.

The Colonoscopy-A Crappy Subject

What better thing to write about. I have put this routine off for a few years and after being prompted by my doctor decided to go for it. I also made an pact with my friend that we'd both have it done this year. I made enough excuses in the past few years and reality set in and I made the call.
The initial consult with the doctor wasn't bad. A few instructions and a month to mull it over and cancel if I chose to. My friend went first. There was quite a difference in the prep required. She couldn't have anything with seeds or nuts for the 5 days before and then began a pretty restricted liquid diet the day before. She also began to take a syrup substance provided by her physician. After her procedure she let me know that she was not chained to her toilet all day. Things went pretty smoothly for her. A mild cramping but that was about it.
My prep began the day after Christmas. No solid food. (hide the cookies!). Jello or liquids only. Liquids meaning clear broth, fruit juices, water and Popsicles. I had to take 4 tablets at 3 pm. Within 1/2 hour my stomach was churning. I chose not to eat anything and also was not hungry to this point. At 5 pm I was to mix a full bottle of Murilax with 64 ounces of any flavor Gatorade I chose. I chose Ice Blue Frost. I was then to drink an 8 ounce glass every 1/2 hour until it was gone. Needless to say I did miss several Packer scores. At this point I thought it would be much worse (horror stories heard) and remarked to my husband that it wasn't so bad. By the time I got to the last 8 ounces of mix I really struggled to get it down. I did get it down before the allotted 2 hours.
This is when all hell broke loose. I'm not a big sugar laden beverage drinker. The Gatorade was doing a number on me. I broke into a sweat and could feel my stomach rejecting whatever I was drinking. No where on my handy brochure did it say anything about vomiting. Without revealing the nitty gritty of it all, I will say that the garbage bags I use in my bathroom garbage can hold plenty of liquid. This little ordeal even brought my husband to the bathroom door. I could do nothing but laugh at this point. I don't know how I found humor in it but I did.
The rest of the night went well. I was clean and ready to go. The exam itself was a piece of cake. I was put into a Twilight sleep but woke up close to the end. Couldn't feel a thing but could see the screen. Kind of blurry after that until I was taken back to the holding area and my husband appeared. Within 1/2 hour was up and out the door. Checked in at 10:45 and out by 12:30.
My advice...not that big of a deal. Do what they tell you..don't cheat and eat, and buy the flavor of Gatorade that you are least likely to buy on a regular basis. This ordeal need only be done once every 10 years if you come out clean. Five years if there is a family history or they detect anything. Not bad considering it's a preventative measure.

Don't Break My Spirit

I like the Christmas season. It can be a little stressful at times, but the outcome is good. My family has get togethers throughout the year, but the Christmas gathering always seems to be the best. I don't have any bad childhood memories of Christmas, and I am thankful to my parents for that. My mother did not have a very happy childhood, and therefore went out of her way to make sure her children did.


Christmas was always special. We were raised to understand the true meaning of Christmas, but we all know that when a child sees a mound of presents in front of them, that meaning becomes a little lost. So when all the wrapping paper, boxes and bows are cleaned up and the gift cards are located in the piles of discarded boring clothes we take a few moments and relay the true meaning.


Since I have had children and grandchildren of my own I have tried to pass the excitement of Christmas on to them. The shopping can be a little rough, but has been made easier throughout the years by shopping online. The decorating can be a little much, but when all is done it's nice to take a step back and smile. Christmas should not be a chore. I know, "tell that to the person hosting Christmas at their home". That is a chore. Shopping, cooking, cleaning and making sure everything turns out OK. My family is pretty easy to please and helpful. The outcome should be a room full of happy people who enjoy spending time together.


Now put the brakes on...Someone, or should I say several people are out to break my spirit this year.

• For 27 Christmas's I have been with my husband who's busy season of the year is Christmas. I've seen him stressed, tired and crabby to no end. I've done just about all the Christmas prep by myself minus the outside lights. Our lights are 1/2 done, yet boxes are scattered all over the basement. Figured he'd be working on them last night, but took to the couch instead.
• My mother-in-law is in her usual "There is no Christmas this year" mode. It's getting old and I'm getting tired of it. I've tried to be sympathetic in the past but it's the same thing every year. There's no money for presents. No one expects her to buy presents. If you buy her something she wants you to return it as she got you nothing. You explain to her that it doesn't matter over and over again. Something in the back of my mind tells me that she just wants to exchange or return whatever she received as she just doesn't like it.
• My sister-in-law is in her repetitive "I hate Christmas" mode. Another one with no money for gifts, however plenty of money for frivolous items. This one can get me to be a little bitter as I've purchased gifts for her children when there was a claim of no money only to see the brother-in-law well stocked on beer and other party products.
• My kids are arguing. I refuse to be in the middle of this as they are both adults. I will listen but refuse to pass judgement or become involved. This should make for a lovely Christmas day if this is not resolved. I listen to them and wonder what happened to make them so bitter toward each other. I'm not saying my parenting skills were right, but I seldom screamed at my kids. Tried talking things through and treating them both equally and fairly. Their father on the other hand favored my son and did not and still does not know how to talk to them. The phone calls I've been witness to are of him in a rage over something.
• I think I may pick up the 3 grandchildren and have a peaceful Christmas Day with them.

I hear there are plenty of movie theaters open for business on Christmas Day. After church and breakfast we may head to one.

Two Years-

Well it's been two years since you left us Randy. Most of the tears have now taken over to laughter and smiles when remembering you. The times you are missed are countless. I haven't had a hearty-gut busting laugh that would bring me to tears, in quite a while.
Still waiting for you to walk out of the office and on to the production floor-barking out some orders. Some people have attempted to break your "24 Mikes Hard Lemonade" record but it hasn't been done yet. The pudgy pie making has been handed over to Steve, but he could use a wise-cracking assistant. Jo's done a good job taking over on the "There are no Buffalo in South Dakota". We're still belting out some of your favorite songs-still working on the Ozzie stuff though.
Even though you are missed, the memories are there. Something that can never be taken away. RIP buddy!

RIP

I make it a habit to read the obits a few times a week. Usually just scan the names and if one looks familiar I'll check out the actual obit. This morning I opened the paper and looked right at a name with picture that threw me for a loop. My high-school boyfriend died yesterday. I actually only dated him for about a year but knew him all through middle school and remained friends with him after we broke up. Over the years we ran into each other several times and did the quick update on our lives.
I broke up with him for the charms of my first husband. Everything happens for a reason right? Both his father & my ex's father were employees of Ladish so they ended up working together. He married, had two girls and was divorced shortly after the 2nd daughter was born. His wife left him with both the girls. She also worked at Ladish and ran off with some guy from there. This woman was horrible. I felt bad for him because he was just too nice of a guy and didn't deserve what she put him and his girls through. He ended up moving back home with his mom and raising his girls, and helping his mom out. The day before I married Arnie, he called me out of the blue to ask me out. Everything happens for a reason again.
I think he was in his early teens when his dad passed away. He had three brothers and their garage was the big hang out. They constantly had cars in their garage. The gear head boys of the high school. I often wondered how their mom kept up with 4 greasy, dirty boys. Once when I was over there I noticed greasy hand prints on the entrance wall and she told me she'd never wash them off as they were signs that her boys worked hard.
My brother was good friends with him and his brothers, so was also over there a lot. Drinking beer and working on cars. Send the girls for parts and food. That was my job. A lot of memories of hanging out with him and his brothers. Good bunch of guys that treated girls like gold.
Rest In Peace Tom. I'm sure your girls have a ton of memories of your kindness.

A Day With An 11 year old boy

My grandson stayed over night on Thanksgiving. His dad had to work early and they would be leaving for hunting the next afternoon. It has been a while since he stayed over by himself so I was a little nervous that he'd be bored. It was quite the opposite. The time was long overdue for son grandma-grandson bonding.
He did have the choice of staying with us or going with his dad and staying home for several hours alone. He chose staying with us. That was only after I assured him that I would not be getting him up at 3am to shop. I did have fun with that while we were watching TV. Every early bird/Black Friday commercial that came on found be commenting that maybe we should get up and go. His eyes would widen and he'd ask if I was kidding.
This is kind of how the time went after everyone else left on Thanksgiving.

• Ask if there is anymore Pumpkin Pie even though he just had a piece an hour ago.
• Make sure there was still Redi Whip for his pie for the next day
• Find the Lazar pointer and play with the cats for a while
• Take a shower and sing something his grandparents could not make out.
• Check for messages on his phone
• Hit the man cave with Grandpa for a while
• See if Grandma's ready to watch the Simpson's movie
• Settle in and watch the movie
• Pause it once to get a snack
• Pause again for water and bathroom break
• Ask once again if he'd be woken up early for shopping.
• Fall asleep watching 2nd movie-it was boring anyway
• Wake up around 830 and wander into grandmas room. Watch news and beg to not be dragged to the store.
• Eat the pumpkin pie for breakfast and 1/2 hour later eat a Grandma prepared Turkey sandwich.
• Bargain with Grandma-taco bell for lunch if he goes to grocery store with her.
• eat another Turkey sandwich when grandpa gets home
• Take a shower and text a picture of his face with "I"m watching you" attached-to his grandmother.
• hear the giggle when grandma checks her text
• check one more time if Taco Bell is still promised after the grocery store
• Go back and pick up the dirty clothes left in the bathroom, find the clothes from the night before and while Grandmother is waiting stop and send another text stating he's coming. Because we live in a mansion texting is necessary.
• Finally get shoes and coat on and once again ask about Taco Bell.
• Try to bargain to stay in the car, but finally decide to come in.
• Try to add things to the cart and then giggle when the items are discovered.
• Stop and read the cover of the latest hunting magazine.
• Finally get the Taco Bell
• Stink up my bathroom and text me about it.
• Watch another movie and lay on the floor and play with Sadie.
• Father comes to pick him up. Still doesn't have all his stuff together. Typical 11 year old boy.

All in all I did have fun.

And Here We Go....

Every year for the past 20 years or so it happens. It's usually the weekend after Thanksgiving and I thought I'd be prepared again this year. Even though shopping and preparing for Christmas can be stressful I manage to find a way to get into the spirit of Christmas.
My mother-in-law has once again called off Christmas. Through out the years I've heard horror stories of how she freaked every Christmas over the way the tree was looking, over her cookies and whatever else went wrong in her day. I did get to witness her tossing all her cookie dough one day because she couldn't remember if she added an ingredient or not.
Back in the mid 60's Arnie's dad was in a horrible car accident on Christmas Eve. The story has it that she has been down on Christmas since then. A few years ago I made the comment "Wouldn't this make you more in the spirit because you didn't lose him?" She never counts her blessings, only looks at the bad side of everything. I've had many conversations with her showing her the good in things which works for about an hour and then she starts in again.
Today marks the beginning of her call of no Christmas this year. She is convinced that by Christmas she will be in kidney dialysis. She is one a medication that needs to be monitored and was sent for blood work the other day. Her doctors office called yesterday for a consult of her blood work and an appointment was made for Tuesday. "They're going to break the news then".
The lab sent her a copy of the blood work and she has suddenly become a doctor and is able to tell that her kidneys are bad. Fortunately my mother just went through the same thing and I remembered her telling me her numbers. They are about the same as mother-in-laws meaning she's okay. I have to remind her also that she is 77 years old. To tell her that is basically means she needs to be monitored and possible taken off the medication or have the dosage decrease falls on deaf ears. I was done talking about it. Then came the best part....
She is convinced she was adopted. Being that she is 10 years younger than her sister, she doesn't believe she was a later in life child. There is a picture she found of herself in a laundry basket that now has her convinced that she was dropped off on their porch. She's damn serious. When asked why she looks so much like her siblings she replied "When people live together for a long time they look alike". I think what we have her is a case of someone who is bored out of their mind. She needs a hobby or to get to a senior center or something to socialize with others. I've told my husband and his siblings that they need to convince her to get out and do something. This woman is very talented, educated and brilliant in many ways. She lacks self-confidence. She needs to do something other than sit in her house day after day and let her mind wander. My attempts at finding her social centers which offer crafts, music (which she loves), baking or just plain talking have been ignored.
I did remind her once again this year that Christmas is not canceled. Christmas comes every year and if she chooses not to celebrate that is her own choice, but it comes no matter what she says. So once again, we're in for the ride.

A Long List

Happy Thanksgiving. We should all be thankful that we are here to celebrate this holiday again.
This date seems to be the day a lot of people sit down and reflect upon what they are or need to be thankful for. I am guilty of not taking the time each day to give thanks. When something not so good happens my first reactions are anger or panic. It takes a bit of time to switch to the "well things could be worse" mode. They could be worse, which is why I am thankful :

I am thankful that I was woken up this morning by Sadie's potty bark. It means her & I are still here.
I am thankful for my husband's snoring. (well, just the part that means he's still her also)
I am thankful that 2 years ago we made the decision to adopt the cat that crawls all over us at night. He's become Arnie's little buddy.
I'm thankful for my parents who raised us all with strong family bonds and morals.
I'm thankful for my grandfather, who will forever have an impact on my life.
I'm thankful for the ability to have had children, who need a good kick once in awhile, but have brought joy & love.
I'm thankful for my first failed marriage because without it I would never have known what a good marriage is. Thankful for 26 years of a good marriage.
I'm thankful for all those have served our country and those who continue to do so. Without these courageous people we may not be able to live in the great country we do.
I'm thankful for the memory of my former mother-in-law who always had a saying for everything. I'm thankful that I can still remember the sayings.
I'm thankful that my brother, after two attempts, now has a good marriage. I'm thankful that his lovely wife is the person she is. Did I mention what a great friend she is also?
I'm thankful and blessed with some of the greatest friends. Can't say enough about them.
I'm thankful for my family & my husbands family. Without any of them life could be boring.
I'm thankful that we have had the ability to "rent" out or spare room to those in need.
I'm thankful for the forever memories I will have of my brother David. Today's memory will be the half frozen veggie casserole he brought to Thanksgiving and the "special" pumpkin creme pie he'd order each year.
I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with those taken to soon, and the memories I will always have of them.
I'm thankful for my grandchildren. They are a beyond words incredible kids.
I'm thankful for good health and the ability to fight and overcome any illness's or diseases.
I'm thankful that I can walk next to my friend each year and celebrate her victory.

This list could go on and on and I have a Turkey to prepare, which I'm thankful for.