Christmas Hustle and Bustle

Wait, it can't be December 19! Is anyone else struggling to get it all done in time. I have been off work all week on vacation and I have worked harder than if I had been at work. I have wrapped gifts and shopped with my mother. I look forward to the time I can rest a little. The weather has put a real damper on everything. I am already looking forward to Spring. I am tired of this gray mist. It is such a downer.

On the bright side, I did have a great time with my mother. We have had lunch together almost everyday and we got lots of great bargins yesterday. Coupons are a great help. Sometimes places will even honor expired coupons. It never hurts to ask. Dick's gave her $25.00 dollars off yesterday from a coupon that expired in November. Also, there were 2 very nice girls at Aerie that were very helpful. They helped me to get a great deal on my gift for Kolbi. Also, did you know that if you order something at the store, they will give you free shipping to your home. I thought that was really great. Also, I became a member of the A-List. I highly recommend this. It gives great discounts. One Thursday a month you can receive 20% off. This is a help.

I have got to run. There is more wrapping of gifts to be done. May you and yours have a very Merry Christmas!

Soiree Pictures

Here they are. Ready for the dance. Zach and Morgan.Kelsey and Fridge (Justin).

All together now.

Looking good!

See my Pretty Girl!

Here is my beautiful niece, Kolbi, giving her Uncle Steve a quick peck on the cheek before she leaves for her Christmas dance. Believe me, there is not a boy there good enough for my Kolbi. She is much too mature for a middle school boy. She will be excited to get to high school so she can meet some boys closer to her height and her maturity level. Go Kolbi!

Here is Kolbi with her grandmother. Gotta love Gran!

Here is the pretty girl. Too Cool Kolbi!

More pics tomorrow when Kelsey, her sister, and Zach go to there dance at the Opera House. Stay tuned for more pics.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I have to say that the things I am most thankful for are my family, my friends, my health, my job and my home. All are things that are very important to me. I have certainly enjoyed today. My husband and I share a delicious breakfast and then he helped me to prepare the food that I planned to take to my mother's. I got to spend time with him and my son before we went to Mom's. At Mom's I was able to visit with both my brothers and their families. We have grown to a total of 14 now. Soon to be 15 when Tater Tot joins the mix.

Tomorrow will be spent looking for the greatest deals to be had. I will get up sometime around 4 a.m. to be at Wal-Mart by 5 a.m. to gather the sale items on my list. The main problem is that most of the stuff is things that I want for myself. The have a great stick vac that is great for picking up kitty litter. I have one but I want another one. Also they have great deals on flash drives and SD cards for my camera.

Then it will be off to West Virginia where Michelle and I will continue to shop for great deals and my mother will get to participate in her favorite past time - gambling! She loves the slots. She is much luckier than I am. I just feel like I am making a deposit but she actually wins sometimes.

I must say that I am very fortunate to have such a great family. We are all very close and enjoy being with each other. I know that all families are not that way, so I thank the Lord each and every day for the gift that he is given me. I am truly blessed!

The Girls Got Class!

Congrats to Kelsey. She has signed her letter of intent with Tusculum College. She has received a very good scholarship, part academics and part softball. Very cool. In August 2009 she will be leaving us to go to Greenville, TN to become a Freshman in college. She has worked very hard to get to this point in her life and I am so proud of her. Congrats to you, Kelsey!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I know it has been a long time since I have wrote but football is almost over and hopefully I will get back on track. I wish I had some cool Halloween pics to add but since my little guy is now 16, Halloween isn't what it use to be. Plus, I have to work concession stand tonight instead of handing out candy. Anyway, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

The Rewards of Motherhood!

I am the mother of a 16 year old. Most days, my job as a mother, are thankless. You work hard but sometimes you feel your hard work is for nothing. The rewards are sometimes few and far between. When you have small children, you often get hugs and kisses and I love you's, but once they start to get older and you are no longer the center of their universe, your job as mother seems to have less meaning. I am very lucky. I have a great son, but sometimes I think I will never get him raised to be responsible. He forgets everything and sees nothing wrong with drink cans and clothes littering his room. I try to help him but it seems like such an endless job. Just yesterday, we went to the football field for the big Friday night game, only to have to turn around and go back home to pick up his jersey. I realize as he gets older, I have to let go and let him learn from his mistakes. I get frustrated when he forgets to do things or looses things. I want his grades to be better. He just wants me to quit hounding him. He doesn't want the hear the speech I give every time he goes out. Be good and behave yourself. Sometimes, I even feel like he doesn't love me, although I know that is not true. Then there are the days you really seem to get you big paycheck. Sometime I am so proud of him that a paycheck could never be big enough to cover the rewards I feel. Like watching him hit his first homerun, when he brings home really good grades, or when you see him run with the football in a Varsity game. But today I really got a great reward as a mother. He was out with some of his friends, shopping at Wal-Mart and saw this elder lady trying to load her purchase in her car and he stopped to ask if she needed help. I was so proud of him. Here he was with his buddies but he still had time to stop and help this stranger. I feel like I have finally been rewarded for my hard work. Now, if I can just teach him responsibility!