The little sequin box

This is hard to see, but it is a little sequin box that my oldest son made when he was in the 4Th grade. Well I have been in one of my cleaning moods and last night, this was in a drawer I was cleaning out. Now, I have an abundance of things put away that my precious angels have made over the years so I figured this one object did not necessarily need to be saved from now until eternity so I chunked it.

Today is trash day so as the boys were taking the dumpster to the end of the road, it tipped over and a few things fell out onto the ground, this little sequin box being one of them. My eldest son (now 14) was crushed and held it in his lap all the way to school before he would surrender it to me. This little sequin box is now proudly displayed on my desk at work, where I am sure it will be from now until my retirement.

CD

This CD is one of my favorite Christmas presents given to me by my wonderful hubby this year. I play it every night when I go to bed and sometimes turn it back on if I wake up during the night. It is so relaxing.

Check

• Rise & shine/boys to school with food in their tummies--check
• Work---check
• Rotary Club lunch meeting---check
• Boys picked up at school---check
• Spin class at they gym---check
• Grocery store---check
• Supper made/dishes done---check
• homework done---check
• one load of laundry done---check

Sweet dreams everyone!!! ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Happy New Year!

I can't believe Christmas break is over. School starts back bright and early in the morning. Christmas was wonderful with just the four of us and then we had a great time getting together with my family for New Years. We especially had a good time for New Years Eve, it was just like when I was growing up, there was a pot luck at my parents church and then we sat around playing cards and games until midnight. It was the first time in a long time I have even been awake when the new year came in, much less having fun at the same time.

I am not really one to make a lot of new years resolutions. I did join Weight Watchers on Wednesday though, not so much because it is the new year, but because I am turning 40 this year. I lost about 40 lbs in 2006 which was about 15 lbs away from my goal weight, then when I had my foot surgery with the holidays mixed in, I gained about 10 lbs back. I blame it entirely upon some candied jalapenos a certain someone introduced me to, wow, spread some cream cheese on a Ritz with about three of these babies on top and, whew, deeeliiiicious!!!!! I went through several rolls of Ritz crackers, let me put it that way. Happy 2007 to everyone!!

Sarah, over at Cleft of the Rock, will be offering "Fitness Fridays" and I found her article this Friday to be very inspiring with some good advice.

Count your blessings

The holiday season always seems to be a busy time in my profession. It is only Wednesday and I have already put in 38 hours and been apart of 4 funerals with 4 left to go before Christmas day. I have fallen in love with each and every family that I have been blessed to be apart of so far this week. Everyone's story is so completely unique, from the young couple that will bury one of their twin baby boys on Saturday to the grown man who cried like a baby at the funeral of his 85 year old mother today, I try to be a comfort to them, but with out fail, they truly end up blessing me beyond measure. As we celebrate Christmas with those we love this year, let us not forget all of those whose holiday season will be forever changed by death or separation.

We will be spending Christmas at home this year with no other family members joining us. I think this officially makes me an adult. There are gifts under the tree, some still to be picked up at stores and still some hidden in unknown places. I have no idea what I will be serving Christmas day for dinner, my house is a total wreck and I can't find the Christmas stockings, but I am so thankful for my two spoiled and sometimes ornary but loving boys and a wonderful husband that I know even if we have to simply clear a path for walking through this house, we are blessed beyond measure and we will truly have a Very Merry Christmas!

An attempt to update

I have not even thought about updating on this blog in forever it seems. I just get so busy that when I do get time to sit down at the computer, I spend all my time catching up with my favorite blogger friends.

I have to admit that the Christmas season is not my favorite time of year. All the commercialism and hustle and bustle just seems to add more hurry to my already hurried life. I am off of work for the next 4 days (crossing fingers) so I hope to finish up my shopping, decorating and maybe even do some baking which I always enjoy doing. Thank goodness my Mom did put up my Christmas tree while they were here for Thanksgiving and the boys do have a few presents underneath but I am so far from being ready. Of course here it is 12:30 PM on my first day off and I have accomplished absolutely nothing so far, at this rate I will get nothing done. I was at the gym by 5:30 this morning, took the boys to school and then went back to bed and slept til noon. OK here I go, I'm getting motivated now....waiting.....waiting....its just not happening....maybe if I just get off my butt and start moving.

2006 CMA Awards

Today has been a great day! I am trying to enjoy my last few days off. I will go back to work on Wednesday so today I have spent most of the day cleaning up the dog hair left behind by my parents sweet, sweet Border Collies. They took the precious angels home on Sunday after a week of shedding and having accidents in my house. I truly think this is something I need to write "Dear Abby" about. I adore my parents and feel I owe them a lot in life, but their dogs wreck my house every time they bring them. Yes, I have a dog in the house, but my Sissy does not shed the way these dogs do, and she rarely, rarely has an accident of any kind.

On a lighter note, I thoroughly enjoyed the CMA awards tonight even though I think the face of Ronnie Dunn is a face only a mother could love, I enjoyed the personality of Vince Gill much more when he was the host. I loved seeing all the Country Music singers, if this makes me a Redneck then so be it. I have to say that I got to see Kenny Chesney in concert when the boys were showing at Houston last year and it was a great concert even though he had a broken leg during the performance. I think he is well deserving of Entertainer of the Year. I often wonder what happened with him and that actress he married. Wow, guess I should get a life.

I will say goodnight now as I enjoy a few Zesta crackers with Miracle Whip on top!!!! Yum, yum. Did I mention I was afraid I would gain weight while not being able to exercise the next couple of months?

No more stitches

The past few days have been uneventful and it is glorious. It has been such a blessing that I have not had to go into work. I think I could get used to this, but I would be totally worthless because I am not good at self discipline and would lay around watching T.V. and blogging all day long.

Quentin had a game in Breckenridge tonight and they won but I have forgotten the score. He actually scored a touch down but there was a flag on the play so it was called back. He did score 2 points later in the game though. I wish I understood football better. I could not tell you what positions he plays even though he has told me a thousand times. Shannon tried to explain the game to me as we watched tonight and I just get so frustrated trying to figure it all out. Am I the only one who finds the game confusing? So many rules :( I am a keep it simple kind of person, maybe thats why I am more of a baseball fan.

I had my two week check up today and got my stitches out. My foot looked great at 2PM today and now it is swollen up like a balloon after going to the game. The football bus is due back into town at 11PM and then I can prop this baby up on a pillow.

Hello again

Well I went through with my foot surgery on October 19th and I am getting around very slowly but trying to carry on with my normal routine as much as possible. The first few days after the surgery were very rough as I was extremely nauseous from the anesthesia but once I was over that everything has been good. I worked half a day on Friday and then again today. I must say I have enjoyed the break from work tremendously. I am very envious of my friend, Jonathon's tails of hiking these days as I am missing my daily exercise routine and feel my butt growing wider everyday as I sit here with my foot propped up on a pillow. I will have a lot of catching up to do when I can finally get around again.

We had a wonderful weekend for the most part. Shannon and I worked together to get everything cleaned up from the house to the vehicles and then my parents came through Sunday on their way to spend a week in Mountain View, Arkansas. As is my regular duty, I will be babysitting their two Border Collies until they return. Q, went on an overnight trip with his youth group on Saturday and we took Blake to the Wylie Fall Festival and then to a party at a friends house. The reason I say it was a wonderful weekend "for the most part" is that on Saturday, I sat the Guinea Pig cage out on the front porch since it was a lovely day, thinking they would enjoy the fresh air and while I left them unsupervised, our male golden retriever drug the cage out into the front yard and tore it up, getting both Ginny and Dixie from inside and killing them. It was very traumatic for Blake.

Fun statistics

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 423 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Friday the 13th

It did not dawn on me until I was writing a check for Quentin this morning that it was Friday the 13th.

"Oh, Quentin it is Friday the 13th" I said.

His reply, "Don't worry Mom, I don't think it is one of the bad ones"

This has really been a great week for me, which is a complete turn around from how I was feeling this time last week. I have been really stressed out because I knew that the funeral home I work for had been sold but they were being very secretive about the new owners and all the details of the sale. On Wednesday, I had a chance to meet these new owners and they were wonderful. I feel like I have been rescued. I have been working for the big corporation for 4 years now and it is just not for me. This is a small company and more tailored to my small town mentality. The transition will not take place for about 6 weeks but by the time I am laid up for a couple of weeks with my foot surgery, maybe the time will fly by.

Shannon and the boys will go to the High School football game tonight which will give me my much treasured alone time. Being a mother of two boys comes in very handy sometimes especially during football and hunting seasons!!!!!

Vacation Get Away!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

I haven't said anything to anybody about this until now because we wanted to wait until things were final.

We just purchased a one bedroom condo near Sanibel Island in South Florida as an investment property.

It finally closed last week, so I thought that we would let you all know in case anyone is interested in accommodations for an upcoming getaway.

It's available for weekends or on a weekly basis. For now, I will be handling bookings until I can find an agent.

Weekends will cost about $150 for three nights and $350 for the week. These prices are low because YOU are friends and family.
Prices will be a bit different for people we don't know, but we will discuss that on an individual basis.

In any case, it's a one bedroom, high-rise unit that overlooks the ocean, nestled among lush greens, and has an awesome ocean view from every window!



See a photo below.

Let me know if you're interested. Talk to you soon!

GOT ME TOO!!! I WAS PACKING MY BAGS

This too shall pass

I am feeling much better now. Saturday was a wonderful experience even though I had to work on my weekend off. I actually did a funeral in a small town near by where we lived the first 12 years of our marriage and where I actually got my calling into the funeral business. I saw many dear friends and it was indeed like going home. Other than work on Saturday it has been a very relaxing weekend and Shannon has been very helpful pitching in on all the catching up I needed to do. I got so down last week that I just gave up on keeping the house in order and it was in pretty bad shape by the time he got home. I also cooked today for the entire week, so no eating out (hopefully) and my family is in casserole heaven!! School is out tomorrow for Columbus Day so we both went ahead and took the day off so we will have another day to catch up (and sleep in!!) Blake has a friend over tonight, so as long as we can keep the wrestling to a minimum, it should be a peaceful evening.

Church was wonderful this morning, we talked about being a "Front Porch" kind of church and how we have gotten accustomed to just sitting in the air conditioning and not venturing out to get to know our neighbors and share the love of Jesus with them. I can so relate to this but was thinking the whole time what wonderful neighbors I have; as I returned from the grocery store on Saturday night, I discovered some delightful treats and a beautiful pumpkin my neighbor and friend Natalie had left me while I was gone. This brought a smile to my face and helped me along in my journey of seeing the world as a brighter place once again.

Warning, this post may depress you

Yesterday turned out to be a pretty rough day. It seemed by the end of the day I was just an outsider looking in and thinking, I don't even like myself right now. I talked to several friends and they seemed to be feeling the same way, so maybe it is just the weather. I feel like I have been burning the candle at both ends for so long and I am completely out of energy. I am seriously questioning if I should remain in my profession. When I first started on this endeavor I felt like being a Funeral Director was indeed what God intended for me to be. I met with families and felt that I was making a difference and showing the love that Jesus would have shown. Now I feel like it is a "job" and it has consumed my whole entire life and most of the time my own children are the ones who make all the sacrifices. To top it all off I went to the podiatrist and am now scheduled for surgery on October 19Th. They will be doing a bunionectomy and injecting a heel spur. This should put me out of commission for at least 6 weeks and I will not be able to keep up with my exercises and will probably gain weight. Well this post is getting depressing so I think I will go take a nap.

http://www.tfda.com/associations/1339/files/Funeral%20Directors%20Proclamation%202006.pdf

Guess I should have been an "Administrative Assistant" or something, at least I might have gotten a plant.

I love Maxine!!!

Dreaming of a day off

So much for a day off. There was a death during the night and even though I am not on duty, I have already buried two people in this family so they only want to deal with me and I don't feel right not going down to take care of them. So, I'll meet with the family and dress and casket today, visitation on Friday and probably funeral on Saturday. Guess I can always hope for Sunday and Monday.

Yoga

Nothing like a good yoga session to relieve the stresses of the day. I had not been to a class in over a week because my favorite instructor was gone. I tend to get really aggravated with the ones I am not used to and an hour and 15 minutes is a lot of time to waist if you are not going to feel good when your done.

I have longed all week for the relaxing feeling we all felt on our vacation to Colorado in August. I have been looking through our photos and remembering what a good time we had and especially having fond memories of the slow pace. I am attaching a photo of the boys fishing that I took from our bungalow. A good time was had by all. I am looking forward to the next several days, I am supposed to be off Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday!!!! I have my doubts that will happen but one can always dream. It is so hard to plan anything when you are in the funeral business and that is a huge cause of burnout in this profession.

Tomorrow I go to the foot doctor and will probably be having surgery on my left foot soon. I have a bunion and a heel spur that are both killing me. I had the right foot done about two years ago and have been putting this foot off but have decided I should have it done on our current insurance before Shannon (hopefully) changes jobs.

Yuk

Don’t forget this brand of fresh lettuce, folks. What probably happened is the water the lettuce was washed in contained polliwogs and these became fresh new frogs, right in the packages. So if you're looking for salad fixings with a little more body, then be sure and try this brand. Don't forget, it's the extra care that Mexican companies take that makes the difference.

I'm a grandma

Jenny became a mother sometime between last night and when we returned from church today. She had two babies and one of them didn't survive. I can't believe how big guinea pigs are when they are born. We have had a wonderful weekend, Blake turned 11 on Friday and we have been celebrating since Thursday. He is such a precious baby boy, at bedtime he gave me a hug and told me "thanks for absolutley the best birthday ever" I told him that tommorow he becomes just a regular guy again.

Discovery

Oh my GAAWWWHHHH!!!!! We discovered today that one of the Guineau Pigs that we so graciously took into our home is soon to be a Mother. Guess that makes me a grandmother????? So yet another visit to Petsmart and walla, ($95.00 later) she has her own private residence in which to make a loving home for her expected kiddos. I already know that one of these precious angels will be going to my nephew since my sister was so kind to think of my kids when her hamster gave birth earlier this year, making us the proud caregivers of Sandy (a.k.a. Stuart, or the escape artist) Now according to the online search engines, we can expect 3 to 5 babies so leave your comments to get on the waiting list.