Halloween marks the start of our busy season around here. After Halloween, we prepare for Thanksgiving and Brian’s birthday. Fortunately, this year they aren’t the same day! 15 days later is Alex’s birthday. His Godfather will be in town that weekend to celebrate his birthday and Christmas with the boys, which means that sometime before then we need to put our tree up. We’re looking into buying a new tree. Ours is 6 years old this year and when I put it together last year, a couple of the branches fell off. I took that as a sign that it’s time for a new one. So, we’re pricing.

Speaking of pricing Christmas trees, we went to WalMart on Saturday after taking the boys to see High School Musical 3 (good movie!). We parked and walked in through the garden center and what were we greeted with? Christmas decorations! I was not prepared for that AT ALL! It isn’t even Halloween yet, for crying out loud! I am the person who is adamant about not putting up any Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. I just can’t be in the mood before then, even if there is snow on the ground. I have to take the holidays one at a time. It’s just the way I’m wired, I guess. Besides, it’s more fun to make a mad dash for the finish line than to start 2 months early.

Anyway, 15 days after Alex’s birthday is Christmas. Then we’re leaving to head to Erie for Jen and Matt’s wedding on New Years Eve. We’ve decided from there to go back to Indiana for a couple of days so that I can see my niece for the first time. I am super excited about that! She’ll be 3 months old then, but at least I don’t have to wait until April! Then it’s my birthday, which I am NOT looking forward to this year, and my sil’s birthday. Fortunately, after that, we have nothing until April when we have sil’s wedding, our anniversary and the twins’ birthday.

In all fairness, this is my favorite time of year. I love fall (though we haven’t had much of a fall this year) and Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s such a joyous time of year. I love cooking a big dinner and celebrating with family and friends. I don’t even mind that it’s just the 5 of us. It’s a compete contrast to the frenzied Thanksgiving and Christmas days I had as a kid, hoping from one grandparent to the next, eating dinner at one and dessert at the other. It’s nice to just be able to relax and take it all in.

And speaking of relaxing, I think I’m going to do that for what’s left of the Colts game. After doing 2 blog posts for my class blog, dishes, and 3 or 4 loads of laundry, I think I’ll chill for the rest of the game and then head to bed. Night!

Christmas, Family, Halloween, Holidays, Thanksgiving, The Inlaws, birthdays, life, the kids | No Comments »

Yes, I know that there are now 96 days to Christmas, and not 100, as the title suggests. What I’m actually talking about is a website called One Hundred days to Christmas. It’s another List Mama blog, but I like it because it’s Christmas related. I always find that it sneaks up on me. One day, all is normal and then BAM! I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off (though, really, who thought of that phrase? Can a chicken run around when its head is cut off??) trying to get everything done at the last minute. I am afraid that will hit me double this year with work and school and everything else going on. Not to mention that in the midst of all of that, I have to pack and plan for our trip to Erie for Matt & Jen’s (Jenson) wedding. I’ll hop on board anything that helps me keep on track and keep organized. I’m an un-organized person by nature and it’s very frustrating to not be able to find things when I need them. But, what can I do? It’s in my blood…

Anyway, I encourage you to check out One Hundred Days to Christmas, especially if you are an un-organized person like me It might help take some of the stress out of the holidays for you as I’m hoping it will do for me

Christmas, Holidays, blogging, life | 3 Comments »

Packing is back into full swing here. I decided to take a few days off for Christmas and to visit with my mom and step-dad, who were here visiting with us. Today, I have spent the day vigorously packing up the kitchen, leaving only what I know I absolutely need. You find out quickly when you move what you can live with and what you can live without. I’m at that point right now; deciding what I can and can’t live without for the next 2 weeks.

But, I did want to stop and say that I hope you all had a very merry Christmas. I also want to wish you a Happy New Year. Please be safe if you’re headed out tonight. For the first time in a long time, we’re all 5 going to be spending New Years eve together. Not since we moved here have we done that because Brian’s usually working. Currently, he’s on his way home with our new van (pictures tomorrow). Then it’s off to bed after the ball drops so that he can leave tomorrow for Rochester. He starts on Wednesday!

On a different note, our Christmas went well. The boys were convinced that Santa had made a mistake because they found Wii games and controllers in their stockings, but no sign of the Wii itself. Little did they know that Santa had left it under the tree. Boy were they excited when they opened that up on Christmas morning! They have picked it up pretty well. Even Alex, who bowled a 170 last night in the Wii Sports bowling game! He’s gonna give us all a run for our money! We still have one more Christmas to do, and that will be tonight. My inlaws have sent their Christmas gifts home with Brian in the van, so I’m sure there’ll be more “oohs” and “aahs” tonight. I did not take pictures, but I took a video, so once I get that downloaded, I’ll post it for anyone who’s interested. I need to get it off of there, anyway, so B can take the camera for pictures of the place we’re considering renting up there. The good news is we ought to have that figured out by the end of the week. What a relief that will be, having a place to be able to move all of our stuff to when the time comes!

Ok, I’ve dawdled enough. Time to get back to work.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Christmas, General, Other places we've lived, blogging, moving | No Comments »

Merry Christmas to all of my readers!

Christmas, Holidays | No Comments »

We made Christmas cookies on Tuesday, and frosted them yesterday. I thought I’d share some pictures of the fun. Enjoy!

Christmas, Holidays, pictures, the kids | 1 Comment »

Gift cards are quite popular. I often get dh an iTunes gift card as part of his birthday/anniversary/Christmas present. I received a B&N goft card from our friends for Christmas, dh got a best Buy gift card. Some people don’t like them. I LOVE them! They allow me to go shopping for something that perhaps I’ve wanted but either haven’t had the money for, or haven’t wanted to put my own money for simply because it wasn’t important enough.

This year, there is a different kind of gift card being offered for people. It’s a medical gift card, and it’s a hot commodity. According to this article:

This gift card can be used for doctors’ visits or deductibles, prescription co-pays, contact lenses and even elective surgery.

“It’s a first of its kind; no one has ever offered a gift card like this,” said Kim Bellard of givewell.com.

The card is issued by Visa, so it can be used anywhere Visa is accepted for health-related services. They are not sold in stores and need to be purchased online or over the phone for up to $5,000.

“The peak audience we believe though is women 35-50, the famous sandwich generation,” Bellard said. “So, they’ve got parents that have health needs, and they’ve got a spouse that has health needs, and older children going off to college or living on their own that have health needs.”

How does the card impact medical deductions? The person who uses it gets any eligible write-off.

All I can think is, where was this 2 months ago when I was shelling out all kinds of money for my teeth? lol

So, mom, dad, sis, if you’re reading this and still haven’t decided what to get me for Christmas, how about one of these? I’d be ever so grateful (and so would my teeth!)

Christmas, News, blogging | 1 Comment »

Brian’s dad and step-mom sent their Christmas gifts through DHL and we received them today. There are finally presents under our tree. Well, there were some from my dad, but now under the tree is full of presents an it doesn’t look so bare!

But, you know what the best part of getting those presents in the mail is? The BOXES! YIPPEE! I never thought I’d be so happy to get boxes in my life, lol. We have some more nice, sturdy boxes for packing. Plus, Kitten has gotten us some, as well. Thanks, Kitten!!

Christmas, Holidays, blogging, moving | No Comments »

To be fair, I have two pretty good mother-in-laws and I have something in common with both of them. Brian’s mom is a special education teacher, so am I. Brian’s step-mom likes to cook/bake and so do I. She’s also an avid reader, as is his dad. A couple of years ago, when they were here for Christmas, she brought us a HUGE bag full of books. She used to work for a publisher and has lots of advanced reading copies of books (I’ve mentioned this before). Some of the ARC’s are cookbooks, which I adore! She sent us an early Christmas present this year.

I must first say that, when we got the box, and opened it, I promptly placed the presents under the tree because they were wrapped and I assumed they were for Christmas. Well, I assumed wrong. I should have known by the bag of flour that was also contained in that box (unwrapped, of course). I thought it was odd that she was sending me a bag of flour. The last time she sent me something like that, it was a bag of pancake mix, with instructions to use it for breakfast. I didn’t see a “visible” note, only what I assumed was a card attached to one of the gifts. If I had opened the note, I would have understood at once that I was supposed to have the kids open the gifts. DUH. Wonder why I didn’t think of opening the gifts? lol

Anyway, I was tickled pink with what she sent us. The first thing we opened was a cookie book. Though it isn’t labeled as an ARC, it’s the same as a couple of the other cookbooks she gave us that are marked as ARC’s.

She sent each of the boys an apron, which are so adorable!

I couldn’t get a picture of them without the funny faces. Boys

She also sent us these:

The bag of flour makes much more sense now! I knew that for her to send it to us it must have had some sort of significant meaning to her. Sure enough, the note said that it’s the same flour her mom used to use when she was a kid (she also said it’s THE BEST for baking). I think we’ll start making Christmas cookies on Friday night, after Downtown D’Lights.

Christmas, Family, Holidays, The Inlaws, blogging, fun | 1 Comment »

When I was in high scholl and college, I worked in retail. Specifically, I sold jewelry and diamonds. Having worked many black Friday’s in retail, I swore I’d never go shopping on that day. It was GREAT for commission, though, let me tell you! I digress….

Wer have been searching for months for a Nintendo Wii. No one has had any. We saw one advertised at K Mart yesterday, so dh got in line yesterday morning. He was #13 in line and they only had 7 We saw one advertised at Sams, so I decided to get in line at 2 am this morning in anticipation of their 5 am opening. I was #4 in line for the Wii. I’m so very glad I chose Sam’s over some other place, as they had 48.

All-in-all it was a good experience. I was wearing 2 layers on the bottom, three layers on top, dh’s big heavy winter coat, 2 hats, gloves, a thick pair of socks and my boots. The only part of me that was cold were my feet. I sat on a cushion reading a book and chatting with the people around me. There was a woman who was dropped off who decided to ignore the chairs that had been placed in line by the people there at 6:30 the nigh before. Her excuse was that chairs couldn’t hold places in line. I, however, recognized that they were in line and placed my cushion after the chairs. The people hadn’t left the parking lot…they were in their cars keeping warm. Who could blame them? She refused to get in her proper place in line, which was behind me (at #5) until a policeman came along and made her. There were much tears on her part, but I’m glad she finally did the right thing, even if she didn’t think it was the right thing. Common courtesy, people.

It was an experience that I won’t likely soon repeat, but it’s probably better that I had my experience outside of Sams Club rather than Best Buy

blogging | 2 Comments »