I don't want to get my hopes up...

But, they are!

Last week, I put in for another position within the county. It's a better position, better pay, more responsibility, etc. I know that I could do it. And, I know that I'd do it well. I'd fit in with that department, and I know I'd enjoy working there. I feel good about it, but I know at least one of the other applicants has a really good chance.

I guess time will tell. For now, I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed.

Turkey Day 2010

What a weekend! And, it's just Saturday!

Thursday, I got up early to make my dishes to take to my in-laws, and watched part of the Macy's Parade w/Hankadoo. We had a very enjoyable day with Joe's family. The entertainment for the day was Baby Ellie. She's the only baby in the family, and is adorable. She's has bright red hair, huge blue eyes, and makes the cutest expressions. She had full attention. We ate, visited, and had a good time. I have never seen so much food in all my life. There were 15 desserts alone. Everything was delicious, and I really should have worn the stretchy pants.
The second stop of the day was at my Uncle & Aunt's. This is where the day became crazy! I've mentioned before that my family is nuttier than squirrel poop, and on days like Thursday, I'm convinced of that even more. I've never heard such stories in my life. I should have worn my boots, because it was deep. I think my uncles need to add BS Artist Extraordinaire after their names. People were laughing so hard they were crying, people were talking over each other, and there were ten different conversations going on at any given time. They may be loud, obnoxious and full of crap, but I love my dear family. We are a good time!

Yesterday, I was one of the crazy fools that went Black Friday shopping! And, I have to say, it wasn't bad. Saundra & I left late in comparison to the others, we left at 5:30am in comparison to the 2am like some I know. And, we were back home by 8am for me to make my desserts to take to Mom's. We went to Target, and even though the parking lot was full, we found a great spot to park. Yes! The day was off to a good start. I picked up some jeans for Hank, a few movies, a couple of DS games, and a few other little things. We found the shortest line, and only waited for maybe ten minutes before we checked out. It wasn't bad. We were feeling brave so we crossed the street to Wal-Mart. I guess everyone had already been there and left, because it was empty. There were more people there on Wedsnesday night grocery shopping. We picked up a few things, got a cup of coffee and called it a day.
We did Thanksgiving, Part Two at Mom & Dad's yesterday afternoon. We ate, played games, and called it an early night. We came home, watched some tv, and we were all asleep by ten.

Today, Hankadoo and I are going to see "Tangled" with some friends. I'm more excited than Hank. It looks so cute. I guess sometime between now and Monday morning, I need to do all the laundry, clean house, and put the Christmas tree up. Hank has been bugging the snot out of me for a week already to get the Christmas stuff out and decorate.

It's been a great Thanksgiving weekend. Pumpkin pie, crazy uncles, shopping....it's had it all!

Thanksgiving...Then & Now

I love Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorite days of the year.

When I was little, Thanksgiving was spent at Grandma & Papaw's. We'd spend the day eating, laughing, playing games and just enjoying our nutty family.

When Joe was in the Army, we never came home for Thanksgiving. We'd always stay at our duty station, have the single soldiers, and all our friends come to our house. I'd spend days cooking, baking & cleaning. There were years that I'd cook two turkeys and mash ten pounds of potatoes. I would make all the sides, and three different desserts. I'd have enough food to feed an Army. Well, maybe not the whole Army, but the motor pool, for sure. I was stressed, but it was worth it. Those Thanksgivings are still some of my favorite memories from our Army years.

Now that we are back home, Thanksgiving has changed. We go to three different places over the course of two days. I only have to fix a few dishes to take here and there. I can actually sit and watch the "Macy's Parade" with the boys. I can enjoy sitting on the couch after dinner and chatting with my sister-in-laws. I can watch the boys play in the yard with their cousins. I can hear the stories that Joe and his brothers tell.

It's about time to break out the stretchy pants. I'm ready to chow down. That part, hasn't changed.

Random Thoughts on a Tuesday

Just a few thoughts for the day:

--The 'Dancing w/the Stars' finale is tonight, and I really hope that Jennifer Grey doesn't win. I loved at her first, but as the season has progressed, she has started to get on my nerves. Don't get me wrong, she looks great, she dances great, but I think she should have stayed looking like Baby and skipped all the work. She doesn't even look like the same person we all fell in love with in 'Dirty Dancing'. I would be very happy if Kyle Massey or Bristol Palin won. I actually voted for Bristol. Don't judge.

--The New Kids on the Block & Backstreet Boys are touring together. I want to go! They are in Nashville in June. I think my sisters and I need to make a road trip. Instead of a bunch of screaming teenagers, it would be screaming thirty-somethings. Justin Bieber has nothing on NKOTB! Nothing, I say.

--Reese's Cups & Diet Coke are a great breakfast. I don't care what you say.

A much needed afternoon...

Today, I've had a taste of what it would be like if I was still a stay-at-home-mom. I must say, it's been nice. I had to come home at noon and wait for the cable/internet people to come fix the internet. They were here when I got here, which was unbelievable, I've never known them to be early. They were done in 20 minutes, internet was back and running. Thank you--it was a long weekend without it
I really could have gone back to work, but I had promised Hank he could ride the bus home and not go to after-school. I couldn't go back on a promise, Walter would never let me live that one down. So, I changed into my sweats and flipflops, separated several baskets of clean laundry, watched 'Rachael Ray' (Niecy Nash was on, and let me just say, I LOVE her!) and enjoyed a quiet afternoon of just me in the house. Now, I'm watching 'Oprah' and getting ready to start supper. I think I need more afternoons at home.

Why are farts funny?

That is the question of the day! Or better yet, why do boys, regardless of age, find farts funny? That's the better question!

Last night, Hankadoo was cuddled up beside me on the couch, we were watching 'Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving' and enjoying the night. Then, he farted. Right on my leg. He thought it was hilarious. He was giggling hysterically. Then, Joe started laughing. Then, Hank farted again. More laughter.

I'm living with Fartacus & Tooter McPooter.

Boys are gross!

Happy Birthday, Honey!

Joe turns 40 today! I've been giving him grief that he can no longer claim the thirties. I'm fixing his favorite birthday dinner tonight. Country Ham (yuck!), fried potatoes, biscuits and apple dumplins. It's the same dinner that his mom always fixed when he was growing up. She's taking him to lunch, and I'm fixing his birthday dinner. I somehow think I got the short end of that deal.
Hank gave him his card and birthday present this morning. I bought him the complete series of The Sopranos. And, I'm not even a Sopranos fan. I have a few more things planned, but that's still a suprise for now. If I tell, it will be the one time that he actually reads my blog!

Happy Birthday, Honey! The boys and I love you.

Where does the time go?

Where does the time go? I'm not talking figuratively by looking at my boys and wondering how they've gotten so big. I'm talking literally! Where does the time go? Here lately, I've really felt like there's not enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be done. I'm tired. I'm stressed. I'm overwhelmed. I hate it. My house is a mess. I feel like I'm always coming or going in a hundred different directions. I think I could stay busy from the time that I walk in the door after work until I passed out from exhaustion and still not mark everything off my list that needs to be done.
There's always something--laundry, dinner, homework, cleaning up after dinner, putting the laundry away, sight words and reading books before bed, cleaning the rest of the house, grocery shopping, running errands. When does it end? And, I know that with the holidays coming, it's going to get even worse.

Pass the cheese, I'd like some to go with my whine!

Girl Time

I love my boys. I really do. I don't mind the constant belching, the stinky feet, or the insane amounts of testosterone that they produce. Those boys are my entire world. But, those boys are also the reason I love my sisters, my girlfriends, and all the other females in my life the way I do.

When I'm with the girls, I'm just that, I'm a girl. I get to talk about things other than Xbox games, sports, or Scooby Doo. I'm not the cook, the maid, or the referee. I get to enjoy pink sparkly things and look at purses.

It's hard being a mom!

Last night, I was scared to death that something was really wrong with Austin. I was scared to the point that we almost loaded up and went to the ER. Even though his wisdom teeth came out with no problems, the aftermath was not good at all. Yesterday afternoon, he was in tears because he was in so much pain. I haven't seen that child cry because something hurt since he was a little boy. I felt so helpless. I wanted to cry, too.
Then, last night he started vomiting. And, not to be gross, but it was gross! There was blood, lots of blood, and this really, really dark liquid. The poor child had barely eaten anything all day, so I was amazed of what all came out of him. It freaked me out. He was bleeding a lot more than he should. We called his doctor, who is also a friend of ours, and he told us to soak some tea bags and then pack them into Austin's mouth to see if that helped with the bleeding. It did. And, about midnight, Austin was able to keep a milkshake down. We then crawled in bed. It had been a long day for he and I both!
I think the vomiting was a combination of his antibiotic, the blood draining into his stomach, and maybe even the anesthesia. Today, he seems much better. He's still very swollen. I jokingly said that he looked like Martin Short's character, Jiminy Glick. He didn't find it funny.

My best friend had a bad night as well. Her son, who is thirteen, was injured at football practice and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. They thought he tore his ACL. Luckily, it was just a sprain, and he's going to be okay. She typically stays for practice, she'll return phone calls, read a magazine or whatnot. Last night, she had left to go pick out a puppy as a surprise Christmas gift. The one night she isn't there, he has to leave in an ambulance.

Gosh, this mom stuff is hard work! I think we deserve a margarita!

My poor baby!

As I sit here at the computer, and look over to the couch, Austin is sprawled out with his ice packs wrapped around his head, and looking pitiful. He had all four wisdom teeth cut out this morning. And, even though the procedure itself went flawlessly, his recovery has been slow. He had a hard time waking up post-op, and then he was sick to his stomach. Considering he hadn't eaten since 7pm last night, there was nothing in his stomach to come up, so he was dry heaving. He was groggy and nauseated. And, now he seems to be in a lot of pain. My poor baby. I feel so helpless. There's nothing I can do but offer Sprite, and Jell-O.

November 11th: A Day for Heroes

I'm going to write about November 11th a day early, because tomorrow I'll be home taking care of Austin, who is having all four wisdom teeth cut out in the morning. I'm hoping it will be quick and easy, and that he's not in a lot of pain.

Back to November 11th...
As we all know, it's Veterans Day. It's not just some random day that the banks are closed, and that school is dismissed. It's a day to honor all the men & women who have served or is serving in our military. These men & women put the love they have for this country above everything else. The life of a soldier isn't easy. It's long hours at the motor pool, it's deployment after deployment, it's time, a lot of time, away from their families. It's hard physically and mentally. It takes its toll on the body and mind. And, if you ask those servicemembers if they would do it all over again, I promise you, they will say yes.

They are heroes.

There's another reason that November 11th is special to me. It is my grandfather's birthday. He would have been 84 tomorrow. My grandfather was a WWII vet, the father of six, an insurance salesman, a pool shark, and the most wonderful man that I ever met. He was funny, and kind, and full of knowledge--mostly useless tidbits of information that left you wondering, "How did he know that?"...
He wore Hawaiian shirts, and rocked a handlebar moustache. He loved Christmas, and square dancing. He loved his wife, and his family.

He was my hero.

Write this down!

It's early November, and I have bought Christmas presents! Someone better write this down, because I don't remember if it's happened before. And, I'd like to say that it will happen again, but there's no guarntee of that. Last year, I was finishing up the odds & ends of Christmas on Christmas Eve. Not something that I'd like to repeat this year. I'm going to set my goal to have everything bought, wrapped, and under the tree by December 20th. Sounds reasonable, right?

It's just hair

Three weeks ago....

Yesterday!!

I have been debating for weeks (maybe even months) about chopping my hair off. It was dry, brittle, crunchy and just yucky. Earlier in the week, I made an appointment with my friend Kelly, who does great hair, and then spent the rest of the week looking online for a new 'do. I took several pictures to her, and this is what we came up with. Truthfully, it's a little shorter than I wanted, but I like it.

I had a little oops yesterday before my appointment. I colored it, and it was rather purple. Not sure what happened, I always color my hair. I don't know if it was a new brand, or a new color, or just my hair being screwy, but it was violet. It was okay for little pieces of color, but not all-over color. Luckily, Kelly had enough time to fix my hair disaster before cutting it.

I'm hoping I can fix it today and it will look cute. My worst fear is that I'll look like Justin Bieber!

I'm thankful for....

I've noticed that a lot of people on FB are changing their status to where they list one thing a day from now until the end of November that they are thankful for. And, while this is a great idea. I know I would miss a day. So, I thought I'd do a big list today. There's 30 days in November, so here are 30 things for which I'm thankful, not in any particular order, some serious and some not so much..

1. My boys
2. Joe
3. My friends (Childhood, internet, military--I love them all!)
4. My sisters
5. Mom & Dad
6. My grandmothers (I'm very lucky to still have both of them!)
7. The rest of my crazy, hilarious family (They may be nuttier than squirrel poop, but they are wonderful!)
8. Diet Coke (I'm not sure I could make it through my day without my beloved!)
9. My job
10. My sweet, mother-in-law.
11. The internet
12. Memories of my grandfather (Some of the younger grandkids won't have the precious memories of him that I do)
13. Cable TV (Nothing beats a good re-run of 'The Golden Girls' to cheer me up)
14. Caller ID
15. Getting baptized & confirmed into the Catholic church (I may not be a regular at mass, but I know getting baptized with Kasey was one of the best decisions I ever made)
16. My brother-in-laws (They have to be outstanding guys to put up with my sisters!)
17. Texting
18. Family Night at Home (A game of Scattergories is sure to bring a good time)
19. Hankadoo still wanting to cuddle with me before he goes to sleep
20. That the big boys still call me Momma, and tell me they love me
21. Pumpkin Spice Latte
22. Being able to laugh at myself
23. A good hairdresser (As a woman, this is very important!)
24. Kentucky (There really is no place like home)
25. Learning from my mistakes
26. Flipflops
27. Comfort Food
28. I'm healthy (Despite the whole malfunctioning thyroid!)
29. Joe will always be the one to pump gas
30. My life, in general

Things that make you go 'Hmmmmmm'

I know that everyone has heard the "Why do you park in a driveway and drive on a parkway?" and other similiar ditties.
Here's mine..... If the two things you should steer clear of in conversations are politics and religion, then why are voting locations in churches? Seems odd to me.

My polling place is actually at the elementary school that is close, but I know many people headed off to a church yesterday to vote.

Politics will still be the talk today. I'm happy with our local results. I'm happy with our state results. I have friends and family that aren't. "When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Kentucky because it's always twenty years behind the times" (Mark Twain) was a quote that a friend had posted on Facebook this morning. And, my sister last night said that for the first time in her life she was embarrassed to call Kentucky her home.

Those are just other things that make me go "Hmmmmmm".....
Obviously, my opinion isn't the same. I'm proud of this state, and the choices that were made yesterday at the polls.

Go Vote!!

Today, election season will come to an end. And, I couldn't be happier! The radio ads will end, the yard signs will go away, and hopefully the mud-slinging will come to an end, too. I've had my fill of political talk the past few weeks. I know it comes with the territory, I do work in county government for elected officials. Politics is the nature of the beast.
My boss is up for re-election, and I have several good friends that are seeking an elected position. I wish them all the best.
I did my duty and voted. I voted for who I like and who I think will do the best job. I wasn't swayed by the negative campaign ads, or office gossip. I don't vote for someone because of party representation. Even with all the negativity, I believe there are men and women who genuinely care about this county, this state, and even this country. We need to support them.

Halloween Review

Indiana Jones was just too cute. I think it was a great costume for Hankadoo. He had decided quite some time ago that he wanted to be Indiana Jones. His costume was complete with a whip, and a cool cargo pouch to store the candy. On Saturday, we went downtown for the Halloween fun. There's a costume contest, a hayride, a pumpkin drop, and then a walking ghost tour of the 'haunted' buildings downtown. Hank loves the Ghost Walk. I think it's his favorite part of Halloween. Well, besides the insane amount of candy that he collects Trick or Treating. I think there's enough candy at my house to feed a third-world country. Last night was actual Trick or Treat, and we gathered with friends at church for Trunk or Treat, before hitting the neighborhoods to score the big loot.

Joe and I went to a costume party on Friday. If given enough time, we would have been a little more original and creative than pirates. I'm already thinking of what we can dress as next year.

This is my friend Saundra. She and I were the oldest women at the party. We missed the memo to dress like a hooch! Our costumes actually covered our butt! We may be the old ladies of the group, but we're still smokin'...