Friday, December 31, 2010

New Year's Eve

Well, another typical Fierro NYE here.  We are watching Kameron so her mom and dad can go out.  Kevin worked today, so he's turning in now.  Kami's been in bed for about 30 minutes.  I expect the rest of us to make it to midnight.

The only venturing out that I did today was to Kleinschmidt's boots.  Natalie got some awesome kickers for Christmas, but they needed stretched a bit.  She's much happier with them, now.  She loved them anyway, but the right one was really tight through the ball of her foot.

My tiny little nothing of a cold was gone for almost three days, and then bounced back into my chest.  I still feel fine.  I don't feel sick in the least.  I have just spent two days coughing non stop.  It's that annoying tickle thing that won't let you get any rest.  That kept me up all night.  Between a couple of short naps, I think I netted 4 hours sleep.  Could have been worse.

Today was the same.  Cough, cough, cough.  All day.  Finally, a couple of hours ago, it stopped.  I was thrilled.  30 minutes ago, I nearly lost my voice.  Good golly!  What next?  I figure Kevin prayed for me to lose my voice, so he could have some peace.  LOL  Talking low, it's fine, so at least he gets a quiet wife, if not a totally silent one.

Now, those of us remaining are watching prison shows and chillin' out.  At midnight, I'll have a glass of wine and the kids will have some sparkling white grape juice.  It's tradition.  After that, I'll likely go to bed and the younger folk will stay up all night, watching movies or playing games.

Pretty rowdy crowd, huh?  Be very afraid.

Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Sunrise and Power Lines

I'm off work for a couple days, and am already enjoying it to the fullest.  It is really warm out this morning, so I stepped outside with my coffee and saw a beautiful red sunrise.  I love pictures of sunrise and sunset.  Love them.  Usually, I'm driving when I see them, so I find the perfect spot to pull over and get a picture of it.

When I'm home, though, it's another story.  I can see that it's beautiful and enjoy it from the side porch, but if the camera comes out, I realize how obstructed the view is.  Power lines and such criss-crossing the sky.  See?

I wasn't about to let that bother me, though!  I just walked under the lines, down the street a bit.  When I was clear of the power lines, I realized that the best shot would require me to be in a back yard that does NOT belong to me.  I didn't think it best to trespass at 7 in the morning, so I walked a bit farther.

By the time I was about a block from home, I found my spot.  I could enjoy the sunrise without disturbing any neighbors.

Ahh.  Much better.  Feeling satisfied, I walked back to my own yard and heard some very loud geese flying South.  Isn't it a bit late for that?  Oh well.

Big plans today.  If all goes well, Tim will have is car tagged and ready to roll.  It's not easy task to tag a car in Missouri.  Especially on the 30th.  Wish us luck!

Monday, December 27, 2010

Slow Work and New Cars

Work is SLOW!  I had to hunt for things to do today.  I saw that I have 88 hours of vacation for the year, meaning I shorted myself last year, so I'm taking Thursday off.  Can I get a shout out for 4-day weekends? LOL

I left a bit early today to come home and go on a mission.  I found a cute car on Craigslist for Tim, and he and Kevin checked it out a couple of times.  Kevin offered less and the guy agreed.  The problem was getting there and getting the car home.  Because we were slow, I was able to cut out early, and tonight was the night.

I got home before 5 and grabbed Tim and Kevin and we hit the road.  The first stop was the bank in Buckner for Tim to withdraw the money.  The ATM will only let you take out $800 in a day, so after that much, we had to back up and go to the window.  The car in front of us was doing something VERY involved, and we sat for over 15 minutes.  We were all pretty grumpy by the time it was our turn.

He got the rest of the money and we headed to Independence.  We drove through meth central to get there, but the couple was just as Kevin described them.  A sweet, older couple.  This had been her car.  A gift for their 40th anniversary.  She mentioned that she hadn't wanted to meet the people who bought it, because she was sad about it going.  When we left, though, she said she was glad it was going to such sweet people.

She almost teared up as we walked out the door.  It was cute and a bit sad.  It reminded me of the lady from whom we bought this house.  It was hers, and she couldn't stand to see it go.

So, Tim is now the owner of a cute little red LeBaron convertible.  If things go as planned, he'll have it tagged before Friday.  We'll get it inspected on Thursday and go get the tags.  His mom will get his insurance started tomorrow, faxing proof of insurance to me so Tim has it.  Wanna see?  I borrowed the pic from the Craigslist ad.

I borrowed the pic from the Craigslist ad.  I'll get better ones this week.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Merry Fish-mas!

Another Christmas is in the books.  It was a good one, too.  Everyone seems happy and satisfied with what they got.  We had a laid back morning and enjoyed it greatly.  I think we went through 3 pots of coffee!  That's really dragging out a morning.

Then it was time to get the food heated and put out.  Mom, Dad and Aunt Rena came over first, then cousin Mike.  After a while, Arick and Heather came by (Arick usually has 3 or 4 commitments on holidays, so it was good that he stopped in) and Amber did, too.  My friend Missy and her son Cole joined us, too.  Finally, Brett, Lacie and Kameron came over.

Kami opened her presents from us and it seems that we did just fine.  I had asked her mom what she needed for her, and she didn't have a snow suit, so we got that.  Other than that, it was toys.  She liked the doll stroller and the play shoes and the purse.  There was also a Mr. Potato Head.

When she opened this last gift, Monica gasped and put her hand over her mouth.  She was pretending like she REALLY wanted it and was shocked by Kami getting it.  When she made that sound, Kami looked up at her and then ran over and gave her the Mr. Potato Head!  It was the sweetest thing ever.  We all got a kick out of it.

Finally, I'll leave you with fish-face.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas Eve!

We made it through another busy season.  The last couple of days were SLOW at work.  Yesterday brought just a couple of emergency last-minute orders which we got shipped with no problem.  I'm just glad to have a couple of long weekends ahead.  I guess I'm pretty excited about it, too, since I woke up before 5:30 this morning.

Tomorrow will be a laid-back, no stress Christmas.  I've invited family and friends to drop in any time tomorrow afternoon to visit.  We'll have snack foods galore, but nobody is going to cook a big meal.  Everything I'm going to offer can be put together today, so tomorrow will be just a matter of heating and eating!  Mom has a three-section warmer thing that I plan to borrow, and I have a crock pot.

We'll do meatballs, lil' smokies, cheese dip, chocolate dipped treats, chips and dip, etc.  Mom's bringing her famous cheese ball, too.  Snack foods on disposable plates means no big cooking, no sinks full of dishes, and no stress.  Yup, that sounds pretty good to me.

I know Mom and Dad are coming, as is Brett (oh yeah, Brett moved out to make it easier to watch Kami during the day.  Long story for another time) Kami and her mommy, Lacie.  Nephew Arick will stop by, too.  I've invited Arick's mom and sister, but I don't know if they'll stop by or not.  I think my friend Missy and her son Cole will drop in, and I've invited neighbor Jimmy.

One thing about this style of gathering, it doesn't matter how many or how few stop by!  I would like to see a lot show up, just because I like to visit.  We'll see how it goes.

Today is going to be pretty full.  We'll hit the grocery store for last minute stuff for tomorrow.  We're hoping that Kevin gets to take Tim to pick up a car he's interested in, too.  He doesn't have insurance yet, so we'll have to trailer it home.  That makes me happy that the predicted snow didn't happen.  The roads are just damp and it's above freezing.  We plan to take everyone out to eat Chinese for lunch, since it's Christmas break and the kids have been cooped up all week.

Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to post tomorrow.  Merry Christmas Eve!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Two More Weeks

I can almost see the end from here. I'm tired of being tired. LOL Two more weeks of 60+ hours, and then I can have a couple of three-day weekends.

Two more weeks isn't much. I can do two more weeks.

Oh, and some advice for all of my friends: Buy stock in coffee beans next year around November 1. Then, sell it on December 24.

You're welcome.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Busy Season and Christmas Shopping

It's definitely busy season. I'm busy! Long days and they fly by, thanks to all the work. I'm thankful, don't get me wrong. If we weren't busy, I'd be worried. A few more weeks of craziness and then things will calm down a bit.

We also aren't having to work every Saturday like we have in the past. Customer service has been split into groups to cover various Saturdays. This week is my turn (4 hours, not a big deal) and on the 18th, everyone works for the final push to get orders in the hands of customers by Christmas.

Then, January arrives and conventions start. So far, I'm only scheduled for one. That's a first. It's my favorite, though. It is in February. We have a lot of new reps, so it allows everyone to go to fewer trade shows.

I think, this weekend, Kevin and I will have a short, local getaway. I found that I have enough Marriott rewards for one more free night. If so, we'll stay somewhere in Kansas City and maybe do a little Christmas shopping. We won't get much yet, but it'll be nice to have the chance to look around and get ideas.

OK, that was my quick break this morning. Time to get back to work!