Auntie Em! Auntie Em!

What a drive in! It was windy all day yesterday, all last night, and it's still blowing this morning. I had to fight the steering wheel all the way to work this morning and it wore me out. The news said we have gusts close to 50 mph! It was an early morning, since Tim had to be here at 6, so I was able to get some projects started early. Now, I'm taking a blogging break while some image files copy.

Monica is doing fruit sales for FFA. The problem is, they didn't send any info. It just lists the item and the price. For instance: 26 piece gift box - $18. What is in the gift box? I have no idea. I emailed the FFA leader this morning, so maybe he can direct me where to find details. If I remember, the FFA fruit is REAL good stuff.

I had to call and wake the girls. When we have to be here at 6, I wake them at 4:50 and send them upstairs. One lies down on the couch and the other in my bed, with phones nearby. Then, at 6 or so, I start calling. Monica slept through the first couple of calls, but Natalie woke up on the first try. Unfortunately, I had to wake her up again with another call 10 minutes later. LOL They're snuggled down and warm and it's hard to stir them.

OK, files are transferred. Time to get back to work!

Ten Blessings

Facebook is often lit up with cries for help on Sunday nights. "Don't let the weekend be over!" "I don't want to go to work tomorrow!" "Dang, the weekend goes too fast!" It would be easy to get sucked into that mindset, and I've been trying to fight it.

Weekends are awesome. There's no doubt about that. However, I started thinking today about WHY they're so great. Is it THAT bad to have to go to work on Monday? If I didn't work Monday - Friday, wouldn't weekends be just 2 other days? Mom says they are for her. On the message boards that I frequent, I did a short post about this, and listed a few thoughts on the subject. It turned into a short list of blessings in my life.

Here, I'm going to list ten. I bet I could do ten a day for a long time, but I'm not going to. I'm just going to hit on the ones that I'm thinking a lot about tonight.

1. I have an awesome job. I work for a great company and I'm good at what I do. I enjoy it and I like the people I work with and I love my customers.
2. My granddaughter is here every other weekend. Her Mom is so good to let us have her. She lights up our lives and gives us a ton of laughter.
3. Kevin is working at a job he likes. He can see himself being at this company for a LONG time, and that makes me happy and relieved.
4. The weather has been amazing. it has afforded us many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors before winter comes and shuts us inside.
5. Tim has settled in to being one of us. He laughs with us and jokes with us and puts up with our weirdness. He's got a touch of weirdness himself, which doesn't hurt.
6. Monica and Natalie will pitch in and help when things need done around here. They don't tidy up on their own, but they are willing to help. That's good enough for me.
7. I have a comfortable home with all necessities and many luxuries. Wireless internet, DirecTV, and Diet Coke, just to name a few.
8. My parents are healthy and happy and can join our weekend fun. Mom feeds us from time to time, too. Bonus!
9. I have a husband who loves me and puts his family first. He doesn't go out and leave us wondering what he's doing or where he is. He's here. With us.
10. We have four kids who are all healthy, smart, loving and kind.

Animals on the Move

I'm used to the road kill slalom course that I drive each morning, dodging a dead skunk on the left and a partial raccoon on the right and most of a 'possum on the left. Yeah, no biggie. I'm used to it. Today, though, their still-living relatives were out full-force!

First, I saw a skunk walking beside the road. They have a slinky kind of walk that cracks me up, but I was worried that he'd turn around and head back into the road, so I gave him a WIDE area when I drove by.

Not far from that, there was a raccoon running across the road. He was HUGE! He would total the Smokin' Hot Neon! I slowed down to make sure he made it all the way across before I got there.

That made me paranoid the rest of the way in. I was sure I'd see a deer or something. Not today, though! I made it in without smashing anything...including my car.

Hello Fall!

It's been almost a week since I posted. Hmmm. I guess I didn't have much to say, huh? Work has been busy but I'm getting in early most days, so I'm keeping up. It's nice to get things cleared up and started before the phones are on and the doors open. Quiet time allows three times the work to get accomplished.

Kevin and the girls had a ball at the Maple Leaf Festival. The weather was better than it's ever been. Actually, I can't remember such a fabulous fall in recent years. The nights are crisp, the mornings cool, and the afternoons in the low 70s. I love it. No furnace, no a/c, no outrageous electric or gas bills. I heard that persimmon seeds have spoons in them this year, though.

Today is another employee appreciation day lunch. It's always fun to not have to pack a lunch and know that you're going to eat well anyway! We'll have grilled burgers and hot dogs and all the sides that go with it. This company is awesome about doing things like this for the employees. A little extra that isn't necessary can really do a lot for morale.

OK, back to work. We'll see what the rest of the week brings.

Friday Eve!

It's Friday eve at last! What a week. Busy season wears me out! I'm happy that the weather will be absolutely stellar for Kevin and the girls to make the annual trek to Carthage for the Maple Leaf Festival. Many of the activities are not as fun for me as they are for Kevin, so I typically stay home. And so it goes this year.

I don't have huge plans. I'm going to take Tim running on Saturday. He never asks to go anywhere, and I know there are places that he'd like to see around Kansas City that would likely bore the girls to death. Saturday is for him to check some local spots out. I'll also take the mother of my beautiful grandbaby a Sonic soda for her lunch time. She gave me a beautiful, perfect child to enhance my life.

I gave the dogs a blanket on the back porch. It was an old blanket. It was for a twin bed, and we don't have any twin beds in the house. It was torn and the stuffing was coming out. It was a ratty old thing and the best choice to donate to dogs.

And it was Monica's favorite.

Crap. I really didn't know that, or I would have never done it. Some of the things that I think are important are ratty in the eyes of others. I should have thought it through. Monica has her Dad and her Grammy's "keep it" tendencies. I keep nothing. I'll regret it some day, but I hate the clutter that comes with. I wish there was middle ground somewhere in this house. I gotta learn to find sentimental value in more, and they need to let more go.

Anyway, I've apologized to Monica, and I'll think to ask in the future. Just wash it and give it back to her? Umm, she's not interested. Rayne is in heat. 'nuff said. Sorry, sis.

A Blended Family

With Tim came two dogs. Not at first, but the first time his Mom visited, she brought them up. Tim's dog Rayne was my hope, because he needed something here that was his own. I wanted him to feel like this was his home.

Rayne's sister Ame' stayed, too. She's been bitten by rattle snakes twice in TX, and fall is the worst for that. Besides, they're sisters! I didn't want them to be separated. I could tell a lot of dog stories, and probably will, but for now, it's just an introduction to the "new" dogs.

Rayne is the alpha of the pack now. Hawkeye allows it and does what she says. Ame' is not the least bit smart (she's really stupid) and is a target for Rayne to pick on. Rayne bullies her unmercifully and we intervene when it gets real ugly.

Because of this pack and their weirdness, everyone loves Ame'. They (we) all feel sorry for her, and it's tough to not be mad at Rayne 24/7. Rayne is doing her job, but it's annoying to see her bully all the time. I keep telling the girls that they shouldn't hate Rayne just because Hawkeye waits to eat until she's OK with it. He's at least 20 lbs overweight. He will NOT starve. He gets to eat twice a day, and he's fine.

OK, enough setup to a silly little story. Natalie and I were on the back porch today (the dogs have the back porch and the entire yard to call their own) and Natalie called Ame'. "Come here, Ame'. Come on, girl!" Ame' came, but so did Rayne, who can push in between any human and dog interaction. Natalie started singing "Rayne Rayne, go away...." I laughed my butt off.

Every time I hear that song now, I'm going to think of this bully dog. She needs love, too!

Stupid dogs.

Oversleeping

Yes, I overslept this morning. I never do that! I'm trying to make this Kevin's fault, but it's difficult. I always stay up later on Sunday than I do during the week. It's not too much of an issue because I've slept later on Sunday mornings.

Last night, as I'm watching my Sunday evening shows, Kevin said he was going to bed. He asked when I had to be in today and I told him 6. He said, "OK, I turned on your alarm. It's set for 4:50." "OK," I said. Let's do the math. I have an hour commute and I have to be at work at 6. The alarm should have been set for 3:50!

I hate that panic that sets in when running late. Running THIS late? Total chaos. We made it on time, but I was a nervous wreck until about 8. I knew that I needed to double check the alarm and get more sleep tonight, to avoid another issue, so I came up with a solution.

I'm in bed.

Yes, it's true. I came home, changed into jammies, and climbed into bed at 6:15. Kevin brought dinner to me and I'm in for the night. I'll watch TV, but I'll do it from bed and probably fall asleep early.

Yup. It's a good plan.

A fabulous day!

We had an awesome day! Hung out at Mom and Dad's, grilled out, played and relaxed. Oh, and fell even more in love with someone:

Look at that face! I heart her.

Have a great week!

Whirlwind Times

It's been crazy at work! I still like my job and I'm still SO thankful to be employed. That helps on the rough days. Then, when the rough ones are over, I'll get an email from a customer with a big thank you or a "you're awesome" and it makes things wonderful.

This weekend, we're starting some one-on-one with the girls. We'll switch each weekend. Tomorrow, Monica and I will hit the road, and Kevin and Natalie will do the same. The only time the girls get to go anywhere other than school, it's all of us together. This will let them have their own time with us.

Tonight? I'll just sit here in the recliner and do NOTHING productive at all. Yup. That sounds JUST fine to me.