Out With The Old

In With The New. Happy New Year Everyone!

2007 was a fairly good year. I was thinking back this morning to New Year's 2000 when everyone thought the world would come to an end. Our computers would crash, crazy things would happen and there was near panic. Life went on as it always does. We all somehow managed to make it to a new year. Good and bad things have happened. We lost loved ones and watched little ones have birthdays. We've gained friends and watched some go through difficult times. We've grown closer to some friends and lost contact with others.

In our own family we lost an icon. My husbands uncle passed away early this year at 87 years old. He was sticken with polio at the age of 10 and not expected to live past 12. This man over came every obstacle thrown at him. He lived a great life and was an inspriation to all.

My brother-in-law had brain surgery on October 19th for a brain tumor. Things were a little messy and we spent a lot of time at the hospital and rehab visiting him. He was sent home on Thursday and is doing well. A few hours of week of Therapy is about all he should need now. Thanks to all of you for your well wishes and prayers.

My sister-in-law J is now one year cancer free as well as my mother. We are thankful and looking forward to the up coming years free calls.

We also lost some friends this year. May they rest in peace and forever know we miss them and are thinking of them.

We had a good camping season this past year. The Brewers played well and the Packers are on their way to the playoffs. Looking forward to the next few weeks being exciting. I chuckle as every year when the football season ends we mull over what to do from mid Feburary to the end of May when camping starts. Some how we always manage to be busy. We have a vacation planned and I will hopefully be taking my annual trek to Arizona the end of April to visit my parents. This is like my jump start to summer. Whether I go solo or someone comes along this year is up in the air.

There's household repairs on the list this upcoming year also. Our enclosed porch is in need or repair, the driveway cracks are getting bigger and I still need to get the spare (not really spare J) room turned into my hobby room. Guess it would help to find a hobby first. And, the roof that is partially shingled will need to be finished. This may all make the summer go by pretty quick.

So let's all think good things this year. The best of luck to everyone and enjoy a safe and Happy New Year.

Tragic Short Cut

I had some errands to run after work today which involved going into stores. Not for returns mind you but for a few birthday gifts for people whose birthdays just happen to fall this week. I then had to make a run to Goodwill due to my cleaning frenzy yesterday. I opted for the short cut route from 35th & Layton to 27th and Rawson. I hate 27th Street between the hours of 330 and 6pm. So I did the little cut through on side streets to get there. Big mistake. First of all I had to go a block out of my way due to a water main break and when cutting back down another block had to pull over for an ambulance. I was going the same way and came upon where the ambulance was headed for. It appeared to be a body covered up laying by a driveway approach. There were 3 men standing around the body and one car close by with it's headlights on. At first glance (I wasn't gawking, I had to stop to let the ambulance pull up to the house)it appeared as though the car may have hit the person. Then I saw that it was a little icy in the driveway approach. May have been that the person slipped. These things make me sad. One could tell it wasn't the body size of a child so I'm guessing elderly person maybe.

As I drove away I thought if the person was hit this could explain the pulled over car. This person may have just taken responsibility rather than flee. I'm sure most of you read about or heard about the couple that was hit on Christmas Day while getting presents out of their car. The driver never stopped but has been located now. Even without hearing the entire story , there is no excuse. You will get caught eventually so going home and hoping you sober up isn't going to help you out.
We're taught not to pass judgement on people but how can you not in a case like that?

Going back to work today sucked! Although I may not have done much at home today it would have been nice to have another day. I might have tackeled the basement and then my husband would have really freaked. He didn't go through any of the boxes I had packed for Goodwill yesterday but he did ask what I did with the stuff on his dresser. I had to tell him that it just looked cleaner as the dust had been removed. I put everything back on it. He was growing some kind of dust farm up there. I do think he may have taken stock of the flannel as I heard no cussing when he went into his closet.

Stop This Insanity

For many years I have taken the week of Christmas off. Just this thing of relaxing after the holiday. This year I was lacking vacation time therefore only took today off. I had a plan. I was going to relax, maybe watch some movies, catch up on some laundry and take it easy. My head started ticking last night. I could really use to clean out some junk. I was going to do this a while back and put a stop to it as I thought maybe we could have a rummage sale and rid ourselves of some crap. Never got around to that.
It is now 12:30 and I am on the third bag of stuff to haul to Goodwill. This is only from two closets and part of the kitchen. Anything I haven't worn in the past two years is in the bag. As I stood in front on my husbands closet and viewed his collection of flannel shirts I used my better judgement and shut the closet door. My God what was I thinking? I would never be able to get even one out without him noticing. I did dig around a little and found two pair of gloves that he frantically searched for this season. Dare I tell him? No, then he would know I was in there. I just moved them to the top of the stack of crap in his closet with hope that he may notice them.
We have a program (5S) starting at work this year. I was given all the books to study up on it and will be one of the elected persons to start this program. It basically instructsyou on how to rid the workplace of un-needed items. There is a holding area for items you are not sure of or not ready to part with. At work we have begun tagging things to either hold or throw away. In the book it explains that usually the holding area turns into a big mess and you end up getting rid of everything in the end. It's just a safe zone for junk collectors. They also mention in the book that this program will rub off on people and they will begin to use it in their personal lives. Hello! Our safe zone items are in the bag. I also have several boxes that I need to haul up from the basement. I can assure you that someone will be digging through the boxes as he's loading them into my truck. I must be present to make sure none of this gets back in.
Must get back to work. I'm loosing valuable time. The desk I'm sitting at is the next thing on my list. (not the desk itself..just the crap piled up on it.)

Merry Christmas

Here's hoping everyone had a Merry Christmas. I always get that "whew" I got it all done feeling once all the gifts are open and the hub bub is just about over. We had the traditional breakfast with the kids, grandkids and mother-in-law this morning. The food was good as everyone was here on time this year. (no crispy, burnt offerings to be had).
My daughter has twins and although I try to get them different things I've found that they like the same things. They were the highlight of the day. They had asked for the set of Little House On The Prarie books and I was able to find them online. They'll watch to see what the other one got and get a little jealous so when the book opening came the one was almost in tears as she didn't think she got the same thing. Joking around I remarked that I figured they could share. It appears that she didn't really want to read them. She wanted to save the set unopened so she could someday give them to her kids. When I told her that the books were around since I was little the look on her face was priceless. I had to take her and show her that I still had them.
We also got each of the kids digital camera's and were subjected to a lot of posing for the rest of the day. All in all the day went well.
Last night was our family gathering and Ben & J's house. This was also a good time. No family fights, good food, and holiday cheer. My parents had bought each family a set of silverware which some of us were confused about. When I talked to my mom she said she did it so we'd always have something to remember them by. This cracked me up a bit as I said "Yeah Mom, I'm going to pick up my fork and burst into tears someday." It's a nice set and the thought was truely there.
So now we're off for our last stop of Christmas. Brother in law is home for the day and we're going to visit for a bit. He's been out the past 3 days on a day pass and is doing very well. He may only need a week or so more and he'll be able to come home. The doctors wants to make sure he doesn't take a step back after the holidays. It was great to see her so happy also.
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas..

Woudolph The Wed Nosed Wiendeer

Two little bits of cuteness came to my door tonight. Door bell rang, dog went nuts and I didn't see anyone at the door. At first I thought it was prank but then thought I should open the door just in case UPS left a package. Upon opening the door I spotted two little girls who immeidatly started singing their carefully practiced Christmas Carol. They sang their little hearts out with no coaching from their mother, my sister. Dressed in pink they were the picture of all that is good. My crappy day was made brighter. I love that they didn't miss a beat. I love that the 4 year old Tori did not look at me but directly at the Christmas lights on my porch and Savannah the younger sister looked me right in the eye while singing. After a quick visit to check out my tree and get a cookie of their choice and one for dad who was waiting in the car they were off to their next stop. "Yet's dough Mom, Daddy's in da van" and they vanished.

Do people still go Christmas Caroling? This was big when I was young. The neighborhood parents would get all the kids together, bundle us up and we'd go to quite a few houses on the block and sing away. We'd get pennies, cookies and sometimes hot chocolate. I know we did this for a few years but when we moved it stopped. Of course when we moved it was also a little remote for the first 5 or so years. In my early teens a group of us went but that died off. I can only recall once in my adult life that carolers came to our door. Must be a thing of the past as I guess you never know who you may "offend" by appearing at their door. It seems as if it's left to school or church groups visiting nursing homes. This is good as they probably appreciate this much more then others do.

Today was the shortest day of the year. The first day of winter. Apparently we got a little head start on that with all the snow and cold. Of course now that it warmed up a tad we have a river running down our driveway. By this time tomorrow with the falling temperature we will have a nice ice rink. Hopefully my husband can get some of the snow off our porch roof before we get hit again. If not we may be shut in's when the roof caves in. I have the notion to bring in all my Christmas cookies just in case. Hate to be running out then during the cave in to save the cookies. I don't think I'd be able to explain the loss of the sacred peanut butter balls to my family.

Squeak, Squeak, Squeak

Ahh...Christmas. Time for shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating and Christmas Concerts. This year my grandchildren ( the twins) had a band concert at their school which was actually called a Christmas Concert. My daughter and I noticed while walking through the school hallways that they had various decorations up. Christmas trees, stars and Santa Claus. Last year it was called the "Holiday Concert". Not sure of the reasons for the change but I welcomed it.

I stopped at their house before the concert to see the new puppy. Bella is a 10 month old black lab that they adopted from the humane society. Actually all their current pets have been adopted. Cute little puppy and well behaved.

The girls were being preped for the concert. Hair combing, clothing check, shoes changed to match the outfits. They were nervous and of course admitted to not practicing their violins much. We assured them that they'd be fine and off we went.

I have many heart warming memories from seeing my kids in concerts. From my son nearly falling off the top step on the stage while goofing off to my daughter with her solo "Let's go Fly A Kite" slightly off key. Besides my brothers daughter who was somehow gifted with a beautiful singing voice no one in this family can carry a tune.

I now have another cherished memory to add. Four Christmas songs plus "Hot Crossed Buns" played by 6 children on violins with the band instructor playing along. There were more squeaks then one can fathom but it was heart warming none the less. They all looked so nervous but yet totally concentrated on their performance. This was better then some high class costly concert. Actually it did end up costing me as there was a trip to Culvers afterwards. I look forward to next years.

Brother in law is making progress in the rehab center. Not sure if he'll make it out by Christmas but happy that he's finally getting the help he needed. She went back to work this week, a break she really needed. Things may finally be on the up and up.

Looking forward to meeting some friend for a little Christmas get together this Saturday. I need a beer! It's been a while. I'm not supposed to be on the 12 step program. Just haven't had time lately.

Getting Things Done

This weekend was very productive for me. For some reason this year I was very behind in holiday "chores". The shopping is 98% done, the tree is up and decorated and I have lists laying around for the rest of the things I need to get done by next weekend.

For the past 10 or so years the woman folk in my family have gotten together the weekend before Christmas for cookie baking. We've pretty much gotten everything down to a basic science now. The cut-outs are all baked up prior to the day and several doughs are mixed up ahead of time and ready to go. My middle sister used to work for a bakery so she's all about the frosting and which one we should use. Of course you have a choice as one hardens quickly but doesn't taste very good but the other is quick to harden but tastey. We ususally let the kids decorate the cookies so unlike the pain stakingly decorated cookies, ours are more imaginative. Some how yesterday when I got around to decorating there was only one cookie left. Something tells me that my family knows my artistic talent therefore keeps me busy so I don't get near the table other than to clean it up.

I haven't been in to much of a Christmas mood up until yesterday. The cookie thing at my sisters and then my daughter and her girls coming back to my house to make a few other things may have finally gotten me in the mood. I hate when decorating or baking feels like a chore. One should do it because they are in the spirit, not because they feel they have to.

Like my friend Peve, I'm not really into wrapping presents. Maybe it's because I'm yet to find a scissors that cuts good. This year I ended up using the scissors that came with my set of knives. That thing rocked. Mental not to myself not to let my husband near it or it will then be in the same shape the rest of my scissors are in. I'm not quite sure what he cuts with them but after he uses a pair I may as well toss them. I bought a lot of gift bags and tissue paper this year. This cut down the wrapping a little. There are just some things that you can't stuff into a bag and pass off as not being lazy.

Pretty good Packer game today except for the last field goal which took the pool I was on the track to win, out of my reach. Not doing to good in that this year. I did catch pretty much of the last half of the Cowboy's game. I really though they'd pull it off in the final few minutes.

Well let's all hunker down for the longest work week of the year. Somehow to me the week prior to Christmas seems to drag on forever.

My brother-in-law is now out in Waterford in a speciality rehab center. He seems to be doing quite well except for still having some confusion.

He's Spent

I am often very amused by my husband. I should end this here but I feel I must share this particular story. It appears that he decided to do some shopping last night. He called me around 4:30 ish to let me know he was at Southridge and he'd be shopping for a bit. He figured he'd only be able to take about an hour or so. True to his word he was home by 6. It was then that I got to hear the perils of Christmas shopping. Apparently he's bothered by the crowds and as he puts it "stupid people". The first thought that came to my mind was "he's a stroller. I can't imagine him in a crowd moving fast" (unless of course it's to get on the bus to exit Summerfest). I could picture the sceniro in my head. The big guy strolling through the mall and people passing him. Maybe he got bumped into a few times. It gave me a little chuckle.
I then started to think about all the shopping I've done. I also hate crowds but you have to go with the flow. Keep the pace. Be prepared at the checkout so as not to hold up a line of people because you picked up the one thing without a price tag. The checkout line is not the time to haggle over getting a few bucks off something as it has a small spot to pull in it. Do that with the department person or go to Customer Service. Know where your check book or card are. Have your 15% off coupon readily accessible and know the location of your driver's liscense. Don't bitch at the cashier for asking for ID. This is for your own protection. Expect that the parking lot is going to be packed.
My husband spent 3 hours one Sunday evening Christmas shopping with me. This was probably 1/4 of our shopping. I mentioned when he called last night from the mall that his mother's birthday is next week and maybe he should look for something for her. He forgot. He'll think about what to get her. Funny, he has not purchased a gift for her on his own in 23 years. Sometimes I'm nice and tell him about it before she opens the gift. She always hugs him first. She's a bright woman and she knows damn well he was clueless.
Don't get me wrong, he is a thoughtful shopper and buys great gifts that are meaningful. He's not an impulse buyer and he is a bargin shopper. I'm not into driving 5 miles extra to save a buck when it cost me 2 to drive there. A lot of my stops are made on my way home from work. I'm a little route planner. Kind of like a junior Cruise Director. I urge all of you who read J's blog to apply for the assistant job. I hear she has great benefits.

Broker Than When I Left

They got it all....All my money. Despite the fact that there wasn't much to do but gamble, it could have been worse. I spent no more that I planned on. I did manage to hit on two different machines, but rather than pocket that it got sucked right back into another one. Unlike J I just couldn't find the right machine. I did play for over 2 hours on a nickle poker machine with a $10.00 investment. Although the outcome was bad I was amused for 2 hours. At this point I felt the need to remove myself from that area which was close to the stage where the band was. Not quite sure of their real name but J's dad had nicknamed them Booger Snots and the Hanker Chiefs.
Made the trek to the Farmin Inn with good food as usual. Saturday we were going to venture to another casino but the snow was coming down pretty good. We opted to not risk it and return to our place. I do need to find out for Kim and myself what the shiny stuff is that they spray on an omelet. It almost appears to be some type of wax or oil.
On my weekly listening to Leroy Butler the DJ's were talking about an interesting email they received analyzing the Packers loss to the Cowboys. This person apparently believes that the Packers lost on purpose. Kind of like tricked they Cowboys into thinking they are not a very good team. See, and then the plan is to kick butt in the playoffs. Leroy was asked if this was true. He never hesitated before saying a flat out "NO". I chuckled listening to the letter and conversation afterward. I find it interesting that some people cannot just accept the fact that the Packers did not play well and lost..rather than make up excuses or reasons for it. Did the coaching staff plan for Brett to get injured to make it even worse? This guy's email was also about Woodson sitting out when he looked perfectly fine to play. In his eyes this was part of the ultimate plan. Let's just take it one game at a time. Anything can happen.
Happy Shoveling out in the morning everyone!

Off To The Woods

We're taking a little "mid-winter" trip this weekend to visit the Indian Casino up north. Nice place, small and I usually do okay. As always it's fun to people watch. Let's see how many chain smoking little old ladies require my assistance in putting their money in. Can't figure out how to insert the money or card but these broads can push the buttons like there is not tomorrow. This day just happens to fall on our anniversary to so a big win would certainly help that celebration along.

Brother-in-law is still in the hospital. Last word yesterday is that the CAT scan showed almost normal. He wasn't quite as confused. Let's just home he continues on this road.

So, the Packers lost to the Cowboys. It was a good game to watch...until Brett was out. That made it more interesting as #12 hasn't played much. I got a kick out of sitting at a machine which happened to be near a table of younger folk. The comments that were coming out were keeping me quite amused. "The assholes been on the bench all season so far. You think he'd get out on the field and do something", as he scrambles for a first down. She was a hoot...that is until she glared at my friend the Cowboy fan.

In my special message to my friend..Congratulations to your boys. Let's breath a sigh of relief that tattoos aren't quite as bad as a body piercing.

Click....Done

In the past it was a huge deal for my two sister-in-laws and myself to wake at the crack of dawn on Black Friday and hit the stores. Over the past few years it has dwindled to hitting the stores later in the day to maybe not going at all. We never really came home with a lot. Just people watching was fun in itself.

After prodding my son for gift suggestions yesterday, of course he shows me something from Kohl's that he wants that is a good deal in the Early Bird special. I read the fine print. Some of these items are available on-line but only during these hours. Hell if I was getting up a 4am. So last night around midnight I logged on to find that it was in fact on sale then. With my 15% off and free shipping it was well worth the click of the finger verses the trip to the store.

My brother-in-law has managed to take another turn for the worse. He woke up yesterday confused and agitated. Sister-in-law D spent a good part of the day trying to convince herself that he was not himself and to not let what he was saying affect her. She's a strong girl and managed to make it until around 4pm before she chucked it in and went home. She unplugged his phone first to assure he wouldn't make any phone calls. Earlier in the day she had left him for a few minutes and he had phoned his mother begging her to come and get him. This set off a round of events that occurred when I should have been mashing the spuds.

Today will be another CT scan as the area in his head where the shunt was put in is swollen. This could be a possible build up of brain fluid again. She had 12 hours of him being somewhat back to normal. She's thankful for that little bit.

Our family Thanksgiving turned out well. Good food, no arguments..good company and my son directed the clean up. J (Annette) was a huge help. We won't mention my husband waited until the last dish was done and the kitchen cleaned up before showing up with his dirty plate. From the sinister grin on his face one would think he planned this out.

Happy Day

Although one should be thankful on a daily basis we sometimes look at Thanksgiving Day as the day we should give thanks. My brother-in-law had yet another surgery today and the call I got an hour ago was one of joy. I have been friends with my sister-in-law for 34 years. We've been through a lot together. Our weddings, the birth of our children, a loss of a child for them, my divorce, my marriage to A, the death of her parents, the list goes on. For some reason their life together has been somewhat of what I'd consider a test. A test of love and a test of faith. There were times when she'd be so discouraged but then buck up and deal with things. Yesterday when she told me he had to go back in she sounded so down. They found a kink in the shunt that the doctor had put in from his brain to his stomach. Luckily the kink was in the stomach area. They tested the shunt by injecting die through it after the surgery and found it to now be working properly. She did not know what to expect when he came to as he's been very confused for about a month now. The man woke up knowing things he has not been able to remember for a month. Her and I were bawling over the phone. We can only hope that he moves forward from here. For this glimmer of hope I thank God.
Of course this got me to thinking...this can sometimes be dangerous. But in this case it's all for the good. I compiled a list in my head of things I'm thankful for but I took a little different route:

I bitch about going to work everyday..but I'm thankful that I wake up each day and that I have a job.
I bitch about cooking..but I'm thankful that we have money to buy food and a home to cook it in.
I bitch about aches and pains..but I'm thankful that I can feel them.
I bitched about all our boarders but I'm thankful that I could help each and everyone of them out.
I bitch about the price of gas..but I'm thankful that I have a vehicle to drive
I bitch about my husband..but I'm thankful that I have someone to share my life with.
I bitch about my parents living so far away..but I'm thankful that they are still able to enjoy their lives.
I bitched about my ex-husband but I'm thankful that I married him as without doing so I would not have the children I do.
I bitch about snow-but thankful that it paints such a pretty picture.
I bitch about mosquitoes when camping-but thankful that we have such a great time with good friends.

Things I'm just plain thankful for:

For the most part my family is in good health. Those that have had illness's are with us today.
My children and grandchildren. What a joy! I'm thankful that I now get to hear my kids scold their kids for the same things they did and I can secretly chuckle.
My husband-there are no words to express how thankful I am.
I'm thankful that my brother was divorced twice otherwise I wouldn't have the wonderful sister-in-law I have now.
I'm thankful for my upbringing. My parents did right by us.
I am thankful for each and every one of my friends. You are all special to me.
I'm thankful that I have a family to share tomorrow with. (even though I get to cook)
I'm thankful that they eat my cooking and don't wince when I'm looking.

There was a time in my life when things were just plain rotten. The days I didn't want to get out of bed. I am thankful that my father gave me the lecture of my life as I truly believe that he put me on the right track.

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your day.

Cause LeRoy Says So...

I'm a freak of listening to Leroy Butler on KLH on Monday mornings, which repeats on Tuesday morning. I didn't catch him yesterday, in fact I'm not quite sure of what I listened to on my way to work. Both my husband and I woke up feeling a little ill. Me, at 3am and him around 5. At first I though it may have been the Mac & Cheese we ate at Big Momma's but no one else was ill. So it remains a mystery.

Anyway, back to Leroy. I like listening to him as he shines hope upon the next weeks Packer win. Funny how he poo-pooed the game with Detroit and went right into talking about how the Packers can and will beat the Cowboys. Now, I said I don't talk smack as it's bad luck, but he did have some good points. I will leave it at that rather than get into any smack talking arguments. We all know that anything can happen.

One of the DJ's then asked the question I have wondered about for awhile. "Is the Mac & Cheese at Thanksgiving just an African American thing or what?". I used to work with a girl who told me that Mac & Cheese was the most important part of their Thanksgiving Dinner. He confirmed that. Not boxed Mac & Cheese, this stuff has to be home made with three cheese's and sour cream. So at work today I took a poll. The two AA women answered before I had the question out. Everyone else looked at me like I was nuts. The girls went into detail about how it has to be made and what the repercussions are if it's missing. I wondered what my families reaction would be if I pulled a large casserole dish of Mac & Cheese out at Thanksgiving. As if you need another food item to sit like a rock in your belly. But the solution for that from the girls and Leroy was that you do not eat, or eat very lightly the day before so you are near starving when the feast begins. (I'm getting the home made recipe tomorrow and will try it out some other time)

My brother-in-law is going for another surgery tomorrow. The shunt has a kink in it but luckily it's in the stomach area rather than the brain. He's still pretty confused and the doctors all though this would clear by now. The dye was shot into the shunt this morning and the kink discovered. He's supposed to be released Thursday morning but with his history of extended hospital stays who knows. We're hoping for the best.

Here's to my sister-in-law J who is in much better shape this year then she was last year at this time. I'm happy that she will be joining us for Thanksgiving this year rather than opting for the Meals on Wheels. No drinking blue slushies so you can pee blue again this year. Pull out the Pink Hat, all survivors eat first. (I'm not sure the hat will get you out of dishes though)

He's Not Real?

We hit the Milwaukee Christmas (oops Holiday) Parade today. This planning started back in mid-October when my two nieces hit me up about it. Apparently the childhood memories got to them and they felt the need to go. In the past we've had a good time watching the parade and have weathered rain, snow, very cold temperatures and as I can recall one year where it was 50 some degrees and we were all in sweatshirts. Yesterday when I heard how cold it was going to be I tried pulling a fast one and offered hot chocolate, chairs and our living room to watch the parade. This did not go over well. By 6pm last night the plan to go was in action.

The must haves at the parade are doughnuts (real, not Dunkin or Honey dip) and hot chocolate. There was no way I was getting up at 7am to secure the doughnuts. I was always in charge of the hot chocolate. Upon rising this morning A went off to Walgreen's for tape for the video camera. He arrived home with doughnuts. "gotta have em" were his words. I boiled the water, dug out the awesome air pot thermos and made the hot chocolate. Everyone arrived on schedule and off we went. We met my grandson Dylan and my son's girlfriend on 3rd and State and staked our claim. I then discovered that the hot chocolate was still sitting on the kitchen table. Starbucks was visited and all was well.

A lot of interesting things go on while waiting for the parade. Santa was spotted. As I pointed this out Dylan looked a little sheepish. I saw him say something to Laura and then he climbed in my lap and proceeded to tell me very secretly that he didn't think Santa was real. I was crushed. My baby was all grown up. What was I thinking? A boy that goes out and kicks butt in football is not going to huddle up with the guys and tell them what he wanted Santa to bring him this year. I give him credit for not yelling it out. He wasn't sure if the 15 & 17 year old still might believe. It was now up to me to explain this. I thought back to when I found out and tried to remember how my parents covered this all up. I'm trying to act fast on this one when all of a sudden he says " I can't believe you guys lied to me for 7 years". My comeback " no 8 years". "Grandma when I was 1 I didn't know what the heck was going on". "Did you guys really think that I wouldn't figure out that there is no way a 300 lb. man is going to fit down a chimney"

I did my best. I explained that there really was a Santa although refereed to as St. Nick, and he really did bring gifts to children. The story just grew from there. I remember my parents saying that Santa is the magic of Christmas and relayed that to him. We went through the list...tooth fairy-fake/ Easter Bunny-fake. Every costumed character that went past in the parade was a costume or real question and answer. And then Ronald McDonald appeared. I looked at Dylan and he looked a little puzzled. "I'm not quite sure on that one" he says. "I'm not real sure someone would dress up like that on purpose".

Boy Was I Wrong

I figured since I had such good luck with daytime shopping yesterday that I would venture out to do some daytime grocery shopping today. How bad could it be? A weekday, and mid-morning. What a joke!
As I pulled into the local P&S parking lot I noticed that it was quite empty. A good sign, I thought. First stop was the produce department. Not bad except for the cluster of carts of produce waiting to be put into place. On to the deli where beside myself there was one person waiting. I listened to the goof behind the counter describing why they call Vegas "Sin City". It was a funny conversation, only he could not work and talk at the same time. So the customers waiting started to grow as dork boy carried on his story. I think clearing my throat brought him back to reality.
Aisle after aisle I discovered that all stocking must be done during the day as every fricking aisle had crap in carts or on pallets to be put on the shelves. It was worse than Walmart. I was in search of the advertised Turkey and after looking myself for a few minutes I went to the meat service counter. Now, there is a window where I could see 3 men working away and I know they could see me. Rather than ring the service bell (because why in the hell would I be standing there) I waited a few minutes. Then after feeling really ignored I layed on the bell. A man with meat covered hands came out looking really angry and prior to asking me what I needed began to search for the missing meat counter person. " All I want to know is where the advertised Turkey's are". He points down an aisle with his meat juice covered hands and I nicely tell him that I looked there. Then he barks out that someone would bring them out. Needless to say, meat covered hand man brought me out a nice big 22 lb. Turkey. He did take the time to wipe off the outside of the Turkey where he left meat prints.
I thought this would be the end of a trip gone bad but I was mistaken. The check-out with the bagger was the shortest line so I opted to step into that line. If anyone is ever wondering why grocery prices are rising it's because they put one fricken thing in a bag. I swear that I had 18 plastic bags of groceries that could have been combined together into maybe 10. And my Turkey wasn't even in a bag.

The Only Good Thing..

Day 2 of the night shift is over. I have composed a list of the good side of working nights.

1) Shopping at a mall during the week, mid-day rocks. The stores are your own. If you can dodge the mall walkers and the jerks in the mall trying to persuade you to "try this hand lotion" or switch your cellphone service, then you're doing good.

2) I was able to get caught up on some phone calls to business's that are only open until 4pm.

3) There is no traffic on the freeway at 11pm at night. A 20 minute commute is knocked down to 12 minutes. (okay so I sped a little)

4) After 5 pm the management team has pretty much left the building. One can accomplish a good amount of work when not being bothered.

5) That's all I got!

Here's the bad:

1) 2pm traffic sucks

2) Daytime tv sucks

3) My body and brain want 1st shift

4) I have to be quiet when I get home so as not to disturb someone.

5) I have become accustomed to a 1st shift life and want to get up-go to work and get it over with.

Let's just quit the list as it could go on forever.

On a lighter note, I was almost taken out by an elderly woman at Southridge today. I'm not sure she could see over the steering wheel. I was walking from the parking lot to the store and she was coming right at me. It was a moment of chicken. Who was going to move first. In the end I did as she was coming right for my hip. The one I just had surgery on. I had this image of pain and going through all that again so I moved aside and let Mrs. Magoo continue on her way. I'm sure she didn't see me as I didn't see her fist shaking out the window as she drove on.

Yeah... I Was Wondering If You Could....

After watching Office Space the other night I came to the conclusion that the approach used by the boss is often used at my place of employment (minus the cup of coffee). This week I am "taking my turn" on the night shift to assist in training of fellow employees. As I've expressed before I am not a night shift person. I have grown used to getting up, doing the daily hygiene things, and shooting off to work. Start your day and get it over. I dislike waiting around all day to go to work. Not that I'm sitting here waiting because as I write the laundry is going and I am getting dinner ready for my husband. He may be the happy one in this situation. He'll get dinner and not be bothered all night. Just him and the dog bonding. I see it now, Sadie in the kitchen, maybe at the table, having dinner with dad.

I did manage to talk him into joining me in some Christmas shopping last night. I know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet but the opportunity was there. I asked, he made a face, I explained how I do this alone every year, he agreed. I did have to look for him a few times as he wandered, but for the most part he helped out. My lame excuse for wanting him to come..I didn't want to get mugged in the Walmart parking lot. I'm pretty brave, but I hate that parking lot. The little dork driving around in the security car is not going to save anyone.

I was able to watch the first half of the Packer game yesterday. My son's girlfriend had a Pampered Chef party at 2pm. She felt bad enough so I saw no need to inquire as to why one would schedule a demonstration on a Sunday afternoon. They had the game on so all was good. I caught the highlights. All was good.

It's Back...

I know I'm going to take a lot of "ribbing" for this but the only food I consider edible from McDonalds is back. Yes folks, back for the season is the McRib sandwich. Color me happy! My husband is currently on a McRib run. He loves me.

When Life Hands You Lemons.....

I truly wish I could find something good or funny to write about in my post. Racked my brain, nope, I got nothin.
My brother-in-law was discharged from the hospital today. Physically he's fine. Sister-in-law was under the assumption that he'd be going to the rehab floor for a week or two so they could work on his mental state. Their insurance will cover for him to go into a Nursing Home, but not stay at the hospital. The girl has exhausted what donated vacation time she has and is not able to leave him home unattended. He's a bit clouded yet. He had no psychiatric evaluation prior to leaving although all the nurse's could have been able to attest to his mental state.
A & I stopped in to see them after work today. He was sleeping when we got there but woke and came into the kitchen to chat with us. At first he made sense, asking A about work and talking about small things. He then went into the bathroom and after taking too long my sister-in-law D went to check things out. She found him taking the light fixture in the bathroom down. For what reason is beyond all of us. He then came into the kitchen, complained of a headach and proceeded to open up a pill bottle and self medicate himself. We then took any medications that were in the house and locked them up. Yeah, he's ready to go home alright. They live about a mile from us so I'm sure we'll get a call soon.
There is a slight chance of hope. Their insurance will pay for adult day care which happens to be at the same hospital she works at. She'll find out tomorrow if he can go. She then can at least go back to work. Not saying she'd be able to concentrate much, but more then she could if he was at home alone. Oh, there is another great thing...they may just be able to stream-line the hearing for Social Security that was applied for a year ago. This illness started more than 2 years ago. He quit his job in October of 2005. This is when things began to esclate. All we can do is be there for them. A winning lottery ticket would probably be welcome right about now.

Did I mention also that work once again sucks! Yes, my 1st shift job is rotating onto my most dreaded shift next week. 3pm to 11pm. I am going to this shift to train the untrainable person who will be running the line on 2nd shift. My co-worker /friend has been on 2nd for over a month now attempting to train him. She's not real patient and he's not to attentive. It's going to take more than a week but that's all I care to work it. There is a slight chance that there may just be a little good in starting at 3pm. When I figure it out I'll let you all know.

You're Almost Perfect????

I think my husband may have been a little on the tipsy side the other night. He's have a horrible couple of weeks at work, has worked some long hours and has been a little on edge between work and his brother being ill. Saturday night we ventured out after a visit to the hospital. After I saw him consume his first drink like it was water I knew I'd better take it easy as I would be the driver. As the night progressed I was handed the car keys and also watched the eyes grow glassier by the moment. I figured it was just about time to go when he sat down next to me and in somewhat of a slur proceeded to tell me that " I was almost perfect". Yep..time to hit the road buddy. But he wasn't quite ready yet. He would go on to put his 5 bucks into the slot machine and play for what seemed like an hour. Luckily he lost it all or I'm certain we'd still be there.

The best part was when we got home. Our dog is not allowed in our kitchen. I had gone into the other room for a moment and came back to find him standing in the kitchen staring at the floor. I then saw the dog, in the kitchen chowing on something. When I asked he told me he dropped his piece of lunch meat and cheese on the floor and she got it. Something tells me that I'm the only one that doesn't allow her in the kitchen. She probably loves when I work nights. No doubt the big guy has her eating at the table with him. He then went on to continue his "almost perfect" conversation. It appears that if it wasn't for me being " a little bit on the bitchy side" once in awhile that I'd be in that category. Hmm... I guess I'm bitchy When I wake him up prior to 11 am on the weekends. Maybe because the night before I'm told that he wants to be up early to get somewhere before it gets to crowded. Maybe because when I do wake him up at 11 or so he's pissed off because I "let him" sleep so late. Regardless of all that I guess he sees me much better than I see myself.

On a sad note I got news tonight that one of our friends that we know from the bar has passed away. He's been in poor health for a while now and suffered a stroke a few weeks back. He was a good guy who always had a hug and a smile for you. We'll miss you Pat!