Miss Me? I Missed Y'All!

I thought these two little boys were so cute with their red hair. I always tell Brent I was born 40 years later than I should have been born. I'd love to be my age that I am now back in the 1940's, raising my boys and raising providers for their future families, but then again I'd probably be dead from old age by now. But I just love that era, don't you??

We have been busy for the last couple of weeks between soccer games and practices and Ian's school had their annual Fall Festival last Thursday so that was pretty time consuming. However, it worked out great and he had a lot of fun running around with his little friends and Brent was watching over them while I worked the food. Yikes, that job was demanding. When these people get off work and bring their children to the school festival, they are hungry. I was so busy that I didn't look up but the time went by so fast, it was over before I knew it. Liam even skipped soccer practice that night to come with us and he ran around with his friend chasing some girls, well the way I saw it the girls were actually chasing the three boys. He said they were following them and then when they started running the girls started running and then they all ended up hanging out together. I can remember things like that when we had functions at our Catholic school. I could tell you stories that would make your hair stand on end about what went on with all those good little Catholic kids I went to school with, oh yeah, I was one of them. Nothing major but the girls definitely instigated all the chasing, hugging, etc. We thought it was such a big deal to get hugged back then and hold hands. Yup, we were bad, bad, bad. lol

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... everywhere you go!!! Now isn't that the truth. Santa's already arrived at the mall but I absolutely REFUSE to partake in any kind of Christmas activity until after we give THANKS for all that we have received this year. Isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about -- family, fellowship, relaxing before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. I abso-friggin'-lutely LOVE Thanksgiving. I just told Brent the other day that it has to be my all-time favorite holiday and do you want to know why? Huh, huh, do you? Well I am going to tell you - in just a sec I have a text message to send. Who said I wasn't a multitasker? I love Thanksgiving because it gives us time to just be, do you kind of understand what I'm trying to say? All you have to do is show up for dinner, maybe bring a side, everyone can relax and enjoy each other, drink a glass of wine or two, listen to Christmas music, watch the game, just be. No worries about is he/she/they going to like the gift, should I have gotten a bigger size, this child needs a nap because Santa came waaay too early, listening to everyone whine and gripe about leaving the house and all their new toys to make the rounds on Christmas. I think Thanksgiving is about spending time together, enjoying it -- even if the food tastes bad or the kids are acting up, after all, you are with your family. If you can't be yourself with them, then who can the kids act up around or say that something doesn't taste too good. I just really enjoy it. I love spending the day with Brent and the boys, I love coming home and laying on the couch with Brent and watching A Christmas Story or any kind of Christmas movie, then snacking on all the great tasting goodies we brought back home.

Isn't this little girl adorable with her little fat feet and I can just see her boinking that turkey on the head with the ear of corn!

After I brought the boys to school this morning, I came home and have been listening to Christmas music on 104.5 all morning. They usually start this on Thanksgiving but it is really early this year. That's ok though, it still won't make me buy into the mainstream media propaganda by trying to boost the economy with the ever engaging commercialism of the Christmas season. And by the way, when cashiers, waitresses, waiters, the guy at Best Buy say (or don't say) Merry Christmas, I always make an effort. Even to the Salvation Army people stationed outside of Sam's Club I said Merry Christmas. If they say Happy Holidays or anything other than Merry Christmas, I am always wondering what is up with that???? I cannot consciously do that. Maybe it's a good thing I am a stay-at-home mom because if my employer asked me to do that, I would have to speak up. Hell, I worked for a Jewish family for three years right out of high school and it was not an issue then, what is the problem now? OK, off the soapbox. Just give thanks on Thanksgiving and celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas. Is is really that hard?

(I used this turkey last year and thought it was hilarious then. Well, guess what? I still think it's hilarious this year!)

So soccer season is officially over. My baby's team is going to the playoffs in December. They were undefeated all season and have done exceptionally well. So the first weekend of December is going to busy between playoff games and Ian will be making his First Reconciliation at church so we are going to do a dinner and cake for him, just to celebrate his First Penance in preparation for his First Communion in April. He told us that soccer was waaay more important and he'd rather go to Liam's games. I was like no way buddy. I think he's just worried about confessing his sins and trying to remember his Act of Contrition. We've been working on it but the next few weeks I am going to work with him every evening. He actually has CCD tonight so while he's at church for that hour it's the one hour a week Brent and I get it all to ourselves. Last week we went to Starbuck's (although I don't really like their coffee) so this week I think we are going to go look at a few Christmas gifts at Circuit City. We tried the other night and ended up buying them things they wanted, mainly two video games, that were on their list in the first place. Must. stop. this. Must. stop. buying. them. things. before. Christmas. If I keep that up their Christmas is going to be really disappointing. You know what I do like??? Kind of acting ADD today again right? Jumping all around as much as the thoughts in my lil o' head. Anywho -- I like the coffee at Cracker Barrel. We had to go and buy the stain and acid for the cement we are staining in the den last Tuesday when Brent was off for Veterans Day and we wound up eating breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Their coffee is so good. I bought a pouch of it and a few other things in the shop. I love shopping at Cracker Barrel. I bought a new Gooseberry Patch recipe book. I guess I need to go again sometime soon and get some more coffee. I actually drink my whole cup in the mornings then when I get back from taking the boys, I drink my hot tea. Yum. I love my PG Tips tea that I bought at World Market in Lafayette. Are there any grocery stores that sell the Cracker Barrel brand? That would make it a little more convenient but then again, I do love going shopping at Cracker Barrel. And the John Deere stuff is so cute. Just when I think Ian is growing out of it, he'll says something about his so-and-so broke so he needs another one or he'd like the collectors edition of this one certain combine. Maybe his passion for John Deere will stick with him who knows?

Brent is supposed to be going to Colorado again in January right after Christmas. Hoping and praying it's not the same time as my birthday. With my luck though who knows? He'll still enjoy it and we can just celebrate when he gets back. Oh yeah, why would I want to celebrate THAT? Getting toooooo old for that crap. So I've been lurking around blogs and getting ideas for Christmas gifts this year. There are sooo many great ideas. Of course I am not crafty at all. I love crafty people, but I'm not crafty. I can follow directions and reproduce crafts, but to just come up with it all on my own -- no way Jose.

I have made some really great recipes lately. I keep making the Apple Dumplins from the Pioneer Woman's website. They are so good and Brent loves them. He takes them to work for breakfast. I also made the Mexican Potato Casserole from Diary of a SAHM and they love it. I've made it twice so far and they can put it away. We made Sausage and Lentil soup from Carrabba's this weekend. We froze out butts off at soccer all day Saturday with two games in Beaumont so we came home and Brent made a big 'o pot of this delicious soup. When I email the recipe to my sister, I'll include it here. Didn't take it any pics of the soup but it is so good and spicy. Everyone who tasted it loved it. I have no idea what to do with the porkchops I have defrosting for tonight but I'm sure I'll think of something pretty soon.

Thursday is Thanksgiving Dinner with Ian at his school. I guess the middle school is not doing it this year but Liam hasn't said anything about it. I'll have to ask him about that. He told me in the car this morning on the way to school that he wants to get his hair cut. I'm sure he means more like a trim but I told him I'd call the guy that cuts our hair and get him an appointment. If he does it on his own, does that mean he doesn't have to get straight A's anymore? He's kept up his end of the bargain since third grade, so we are going to keep up our end. Little toot, he's such a stinker. I have got to get off and go figure out dinner -- decisions, decisions. Ciao!

Don't Fret: Christmas is Coming Whether Or Not I Change My Background, It Has To, It's Inevitable, Right?

OK, so don't make fun of me for keeping my pumpkin background. Working on changing it but once again, that would require a concrete decision-making process that I am incapable of committing to at this point in my life. I guess I'm secretly hoping if I don't change my theme, Christmas will just lay in limbo, no such luck though. I LOVE Christmas. It is my favorite holiday. Just watching the boys light up on Christmas morning is worth all the blood, sweat and tears we have to endure during the shopping but ... but... each year it gets harder and harder to top the last. We're going to try but they already have basically what they want, so I guess I have to get a little creative this year. I hope Santa brings me the IPHONE but I know he's not going to because "we're not in the AT&T plan." I cannot believe Santa knew where I had my plan. That was surprising in itself! Plus, let's give the pumpkin/fall theme a little extra time, as Christmas stuff has been out since mid-October totally disrespecting the theme of fall and Thanksgiving. OK, so I went off on a rant for no apparent reason ... well, the reason is how lazy I am and refuse to commit to figuring it out again. The more crap I add to my blog the harder it is to write the HTML codes for the new background. Learning as I go so be patient. Posting this on the road so I don't have time to figure it all out right now anyway.

Hope everyone's Thanksgiving was great, ours definitely was fun. We went out of town and spent the holiday with my sister. She takes good care of us and we did a little shopping Friday. Brent and brother-in-law went on an excursion with the boys to a state park and they really enjoyed that. They brought back a bunch of sugar cane they've been sucking on all week so I have to make sure they brush their teeth twice as much as usual. I secretly went and threw out a bunch of it when the trash came yesterday so hopefully that'll be the end of that.

Listening to an all Christmas radio station to get in the mood of the festivities of the holidays. Trying not to dread the idea of presents, decisions, wrapping, decorating, family get-togethers and friends stopping by. Could I be any more anti-social today?? I don't think so, then again I am PMSing so I could really give a shit anyway. Kansas City Railroad has a decorated traveling train coming through tonight so we're going to take the boys, in between soccer (yes, still) and CCD. That should be fun, trying to get that in between 4-5:30pm. Last year we waited in line for over an hour to hopefully we'll make it in time.

Soccer playoffs are this weekend in the Austin area so that should be fun. My friends are going to Natchitoches, LA and I want to go and bring the boys to see all the lights there. They have a huge fireworks display this weekend but once again, soccer is invading my life and changing our life plans. Not really, but it sounded good. I hate that soccer, for the last two years, has invaded into our Christmas holidays. It needs to finish up sooner so we can go to play-offs and be done before the Thanksgiving holiday. It gets so hectic and to have that on top of it makes it that more unbearable.

We also have two projects for school to work on so I guess we'll each take a kid and try and get it done. What are these freakin teachers thinking? Don 't they have lives? Oh yeah, they do because they lay on the work on the parents to do the homework with the kids that they should have been taught in the classroom that day. Let's not go there. On with that........... I'll try and do another post later when I work on my Christmas theme, but it will probably be in the wee hours of the morning. Ciao!

Do You Think???

Just a little sidenote to begin with: two things not related to my friends or family that I truly enjoy ... a little Bobby with my coffee!

On with it.....

OK, so if you break down and cry for almost absolutely no reason whatsoever, it is always blamed on PMS??? I'm not sure, but I think after the emotional breakdown I had Friday morning it would make one wonder. I'm sitting happily at my friends house, talking to her about some stuff and I leave and all of a sudden I realize THIS IS IT! This is my life. I have officially become my mother and I am on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The only difference is she smoked and I don't!! Guess what triggered it? Your guess is as good as mine. And get this, it probably only lasted for about five minutes! But I know who the culprit is -- every time this happens it's either an idiot I've come across that day that I may or may not know or PMS. No matter what, my DH says it's the PMS but I tend to disagree. I may not be able to officially blame all the wrong in my life on my OLs, but I can always rationalize it!! I know, I know, thank you, it's an art form. And the bad thing is that I was just bragging to my sister that I talk to every day that I could not remember the last time I cried. And I was being serious. I can honestly say I think it's been months. I couldn't cry when Brent went out of town for two weeks because the boys would have freaked out, and when he came home I was happy so I didn't cry then either. I shed a few tears on the first day of school but they were so happy about going back, I wasn't even scared or apprehensive because they both just seemed so content as we said our goodbyes and the older one walks off like any other day and the little one wanted me and his dad to just leave before a bunch of his friends got to the classroom. A big difference from last year. In kindergarten he cried, I cried, hell, even his dad was crying. He cried every day before I dropped him off and every afternoon when I would go through carpool line and he'd jump in the car all happy only to totally burst into tears and hug my neck all the way out of the line. This went on for three weeks and just when I was getting really worried, it stopped. YUP, just like that. One day he didn't cry before school and then I said it would be worse that afternoon, but it never came. Like I say all the time and I tell my friends and family, it takes 21 days to form a habit and that is just about how long it took him to form his habit of actually going to school. Mother's Day Out just cannot prepare them the way a 5 day pre-K program can. My oldest son, Liam, went to Cathedral School for three years before he started kindergarten and it was wonderful. He was well prepared, whereas Ian was not so hip on MDO or pre-K so he went to the same MDO program for 5 years, from about 8 months until he started kindergarten. He does not like change. He loved little school but it definitely lacks the structure and curriculum that is offered at an accredited school. On with that.... it got kind of boring. Liam's team won their 3rd straight soccer game and my youngest lost his game. They are only 7 years old so they don't go to the playoffs but Liam's team is doing GREAT this year and I hope they keep it up. We went to the playoffs in Houston last year right before Christmas and it was a lot of fun. The boys loved it, and of course they were devastated when they lost the second game. But we made the whole weekend fun and did some Christmas shopping. Well, I guess I better finish my yearbook publication for PTA which is due by Friday and I still have tons of stuff to do to get it prepared.

Do you think it was PMS or just stupid-asses that caused my tears?? I'll ponder that too.