Thursday, October 28, 2010

If Brad can I can!

This is what Jeff looks like answering the door to get the pizza.















"Hey Buddy! Keep the change!"

Monday, October 25, 2010

Let's be frank and honest

I'll be honest, you can be Frank, OK? 

Jeff ordered pizza last week.  It was around 1am and cold.  He was in his man cave and came into the house to put on a fuzzy pink bathrobe to get warm.  The pizza guy knocked on the door and he insisted on answering the door - with the pink robe on.  Even though Ceara offered to get it.  The pizza guy was like "Do you have the card you paid with?"  Jeff didn't - he had left it in the man cave - and the pizza guy was like, "Oh, that's OK...here's your pizza, have a good night."  All said while backing down the porch steps.  I think he wanted to get far away from the strange man in the pink fuzzy bathrobe in the middle of the night...

Conor's soccer team won league champs, so they are going to the playoffs!  He got a trophy today after his last game for the regular season.  I was thinking that soccer was done for the season - not that I don't love it, but I will love it much more when he is a little older and they all know what they are doing on the field other than bunching up in a group and blocking each other from doing anything with the ball.  Yes, I love that he plays, I enjoy watching them play, but really?  Tournaments for 6-7 year olds who get confused by which end of the field they are supposed to be on so they don't switch sides like they are supposed to?  I think they are a little young for tournaments, but... we'll do it anyway.  So, next weekend we get to go to soccer games on both Saturday and Sunday, possibly 2 games on each day depending on how they do.  Plus we will have Trick-or treat, and he was invited to a Halloween party at a friend's house.  So, it will be a busy weekend!

There is a caterpillar taking up space above my eyes and I HAVE to find the time to wax.  In addition to that, I have other hair removal problems going on with the fact that I haven't shaved my legs in I don't know how long.  It's so bad that it doesn't even tickle anymore when I wear pants.  I think I need to make it a point to stop on my way home and get some Nair so the hairs will stay gone for a few days... besides, one razor may not be enough to complete the job!

This month is just the beginning of the busy season, the holiday season I adore, so I will have to make sure to find more time to actually write posts here! 

I'll be sure to update you when I get the unwanted hair growth under control.  Be reassured that there is NOT a situation going on under my arms, though.  I have kept up with that!  ;)

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday and we celebrated by going out to dinner at Lonestar.

Since we have moved to a house just 4 doors away from Mom, I see her a lot more than I used to, and it has been wonderful.  She rides up on the 4 wheeler through the woods to have dinner with us a couple of nights a week, or just to sit out on the deck and talk.  I love it.  Especially with Jeff in another state, Alli at work most week nights, and Conor playing with Tray, it's nice to have someone to sit back with and talk. 

Thank you, Mom, for everything you are and everything I am.  I love you!  Hope you had a great birthday!!  :)

Ohio Renaissance Festival 2010


Dances from Terpsichore - Bransles de Villages New London Consort From the Album Sinners & Saints: The Ultimate Medieval & Renaissance Music Collection

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Check her out...

The Daily Rant is in Italy.  I'm so jealous.  She just got there, but I'm sure there will be a ton of awesome pictures up soon.  Or maybe after her trip - I don't know that I would take the time to blog if I were in Italy! 

Monday, October 11, 2010

It's Monday...

I had a great start to the week because I went to bed at 9:30 last night and got up a lot earlier than usual this morning.  I had EXTRA time before I had to wake Conor up, and before I had to leave for work.  It was quite nice, I must say. 

In the last year or so, I have been given extra work at a steadily increasing rate and it has not yet stopped.  So I feel like I'm always forgetting about something and having the weekend to not even think about work doesn't help my Mondays.  Because while I used to not stop thinking about work, I've learned to just leave it there now.  Just when I think I'm feeling comfortable with the work I'm doing, they throw a wrench in it.  I'd really like to find another job, not because I want to leave this one so badly, but so I could possibly negotiate a raise.  I have so much work I do for so many different branches in our company - I don't know that anyone else would even know how to do my job if I left.  With their current "be happy you have a job and don't even think you are going to get a raise" attitude, it doesn't make for happy employees when they lay people off and then just pile work on the employees left behind with no additional compensation.  In addition to that, my boss - who used to appreciate me and tell me how much he appreciated me - was promoted to be over another branch and he's so caught up in that, he barely notices me anymore.  He's only in the office one or two times a month, if that.  Today was very busy... very, very busy.  My early start helped, but I ended up working late, too. 

Onto more cheery topics... errr more Monday stuff. 

I wrote last week how I was reading The 39 Clues to Conor, and I wanted to get more of the books because I, uh, finished the two I have and I want to read more.  I actually finished the second one the day after reading the first.  Since they are kids books, they are fairly easy for me to read on my own. 

I went to Amazon and also Barnes and Noble (because I have a gift certificate there) and then decided it would take too long to get them, so I didn't order any.  I then proceeded to go to my local Walmart over the weekend and they had EVERY book except for #3 - the one I'm on.  I then decided I really don't need to buy them (lack of space and all) and I went to our local library at lunch today.  They don't have ANY of the books, but the neighboring town (which partners with our town's library) has 1 of each volume.  I didn't have time to go there though.  I also looked for some other books that I had listed on my phone's memo feature that I wanted to read.  Not one single book was available that I wanted.  Which made me sad.  I don't know if they are having funding issues or not, but now I want to go buy the books and donate them after I'm done reading them.  If I ever find them in stock anywhere that is. 

So, if I would have just ordered them from Amazon or Barnes and Noble, they would probably already be here. 

I then went to a local chocolate factory - because I had time, and because I was craving one of their specialties - and I was the only person in the shop.  I had time to spare (I was on my lunch break) so I looked around a little bit before picking up my favorite.  I went to check out and there was an issue with the receipt paper - it wasn't turned on, so she wasn't sure if my card went through or not.  It took a good 25 minutes to figure it out and get the paper to reprint and that made me late back to work after lunch. Not too bad, just about 10 minutes. 

So, that was my Monday.  My work Monday anyway.  Everything was surprisingly calm when I came home.  The kids had already fed themselves - Alli ordered Chinese food - so I didn't have to cook.  Conor had a friend over, so they were playing outside and I just vegged. 

Now I'm going to go watch some TV with Conor and do some more relaxing... this post may be all over the place, but... I don't really want to correct it right now.  It fits in with the rest of my day.

Hope everyone had a good Monday!  Mine was hectic, but I'm oddly relaxed now.  :)

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

The 39 Clues

A few months ago, OK more than a few... March to be exact, I won some books from Jenn at Juggling Life that I thought Conor might be interested in.  They were shipped to me in a very timely manner and I received them... then started the whole moving process so the books got packed away and it took us years, err I mean months to move. 

The books I won are the first 2 books in a series called The 39 Clues:



Conor and I started reading the first one Monday night and boy am I hooked.  They are aimed towards a bit older of an age group than Conor, but he is enjoying them too.  They are definitely books that will appeal to boys, and also girls! 

The first night I read it to Conor right before bed time and I didn't want to stop after he fell asleep.  I read on a chapter or two telling myself that it would make reading it to him easier if I knew what was happening.  I made myself put it down before I got too far ahead. 

The second night I read it was last night.  I kept reading LONG after Conor fell asleep.  Until, ummm 2am actually, when I finished the book. 

It has mystery, it has adventure, it has characters you love and characters you hate, and characters you are suspicious of... everything a book / story needs to keep a reader hooked.  I had never heard of these books prior to Jenn posting about them, and when I finished the first book I immediately went to look to see how many were in the series and if they were all available yet.  There are 10 on Amazon, and they have a nifty little box set of all 10 - which I would totally buy if I didn't already have 1 and 2.


The main characters are a brother and sister duo (Dan 11 and Amy 14) who lost their parents and although they come from a huge, rich family, they have only each other to count on. 

So, if you have any kids and want to get them into reading - this is a good series to start them with!  Conor is only 7, and I think he is a little on the young side for this book, but he is enjoying it. 

And I'm uhhhh, well much older than Conor and I enjoyed the first book enough to sacrifice sleep to finish it.  I must say that I am looking forward to the remaining books and finding out what the treasure is at the end of the clues! 

Jenn does a book review / giveaway almost every Monday.  You should check her out and see if there are any books you are interested in.  Since I hadn't even started the books that I won from her, I didn't feel I should enter any more until I did so.  I would feel so bad if I won another one and hadn't finished the ones I won before!  There are quite a few she has reviewed that I have noted for future reference, though.  You know, when I have more time to read.  Like in the winter months coming up!  :) 

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Friday, October 01, 2010