another sneak peek

we ordered 10 of these for uncle tim to mail out. think he'll like them? its a surprise.

sneak preview!

the big winner-ordered 100 of them today

close 2nd place

honorable mention, but not enough Jacky

like it

boring

GOALS

last year Yogi only had one request, of all of us, for his Christmas present. He wanted each of us to write a list of our Goals, Hopes & Dreams and present it to him Christmas Morning. Kristin, being the brown nosing, ass kissing suck up driven, organized, people pleasing, oldest child she is, not only wrote her list on time, but decorated it with stickers and glitter, designed a custom made envelope for it and delivered it in his stocking Christmas eve. geek. The rest of the family had issues with this assignment request. Me, because I despise authority. Doug, because he doesn't like writing. Jackson, because he couldn't put anything into words an has no very little self worth, and from an intellectual standpoint, the assignment request was over his head. Long story short, we failed. He claimed, at the time, that his feelings were not hurt, but i still wonder, so this year, I'm hoping to rally the troops again, bribe encourage the children into getting their lists made and surprise their Daddy with a whole slew of personal lists on The Big Day. Over the last 12 months he has mentioned the lists in passing, especially mine, and seems to very much still want them. Usually, when Yogi makes a request, the kids jump on it because they love to make him happy. yah..i know, right? pimp! but this was different. It was difficult. It took effort. Big effort. I personally, was afraid to come out looking selfish and my mental list(hey, i got that far!) was looking like a big list of *I WANT*s, or "stuff you've never done for me", and I didn't want it to come off that way. He is the hardest working, most driven, goal oriented guy I've ever met in my entire life. When you pull up to our small house you would never know that, but it's the truth. Nobody tries harder to succeed, personally or professionally. I have expressed this apprehension to him, and he says its doesn't matter. Yogi says,
"DREAMS ARE GOALS THAT JUST HAVEN'T HAD THE ENERGY PUT BEHIND THEM"
I will try to keep this in mind while i compile my list for him. some whining may occur in the coming weeks. be ready.
Don't most husbands just want a big screen TV??????

Dear So & So painting client

I am here to paint your living room. i am not, however, here to:
help you plan your toddler grandson's Birthday Party
teach you how to use the new scanner you bought
boil eggs for the get together at the nursing home
listen to you rehearse for karaoke night. GOD, PLEASE NO!
shop online for window treatments
hear your "funny bathroom story"
train you in Craig's list etiquette
counsel you in your marital woes
hear your thoughts on politics, religion, the death penalty, govt. buy outs, or the price of shell fish
examine your moles
diagnose your rashes
move your furniture
check your dog for ticks
straighten your hair
put drops in your eyes
answer creditor phone calls
dry your tears
wake your husband *for his pills*
design your pantry
organize your canned goods
answer your door
entertain your ferret
clean your jewelry
figure out what's stuck in your garbage disposal
or anything else that doesn't involve painting your walls.
thank you very much, and have a wonderful evening. see you at 8am. I am going to go home and gouge out my eyes and ears now. night!

babysteps to adulthood, part deux

the clutch that doug ordered is *back ordered*. 8 weeks. then, he realized he cant install it himself, due to some logistics, and will need to hire someone. another 500$. so, first, he canceled the order-8 weeks is too long- and he is looking for someone who can get it in quickly. then, Brian(family friend, my first boyfriend actually LOL, who owns an auto body shop but is also a mechanic) will install it. first things first-hes installing doug's new driver's side window today. then, we can try to find the clutch he needs. how is this kid supposed to get another 500$ together? he paid 7g's for this damn car and can't drive it, can i admit that the older kids problems and financial issues overwhelm me at times? geesh!
i am painting a living room in a house for the next 3 days, maybe i can give him my pay from that. OY. i really wanted to start a bit of our Christmas shopping.
on a side note-Kristin's plane tickets to CR only cost 402.00$ NOT TOO SHABBY!!!!! that was a nice surprise, i slept well after hearing that. so.. some good news.
Ken is sad that she doesnt have school tomorrow.
Shawn still has a nose that runs like a faucet. yuck. but he seems to feel good.
the VA upped Uncle Tim's disability percentage after his exam last month, so he will collect more per month now, which he needs. more good news.
Jack is having a great month. his behavior just gets better and better and he seems so settled. whats going on? LOL. i should call and check in with his teacher...now that hes in the resource room so much, hes happier, but doesnt get any homework. no challenge! easier on us? yes. do i think academics can ever come first in his life? NO WAY. but id like to see him have SOME responsibilities! it all just seems way too easy. just kinda weird, is all. i better call. he was supposed to dress up for the *boring* field trip( a math play?) yesterday, and he dressed like a homeless gangster instead. i blame Dad, i slept in!
i miss my husband. we never have any time, just us. we may go out tonight, just to take a ride and chat, but we'll have to take the roofing truck, Stella, since Courtney will be at school in my SUV. Stella is dirty and noisy and smelly. oh, well. i will take what i can get hee hee.
GOD, am i boring to read lately, or what? i will put my funny hat on for my next post k? be good!

baby steps to adulthood

Doug & Kayleigh in May

poor louie lou.. he just cant catch a break. his apartment building is in the woods, but that didn't stop some losers from smashing his car window thismorning. luckily, the car alarm scared them off before they were able to steal his very pricey stereo equipment, but he keeps saying "why me?" . bad luck seems to follow Doug wherever he goes, not a great pattern for a kid about to go off to war. Uncle Tim lent him the money to get it fixed, as doug had just spent his last 500$ on a new clutch for the car, and didn't have any left to replace the window. all of our money is tied up with the Costa Rica thing coming up. without the loan, Doug would have had to sleep in the car until it was fixed so that he wouldn't have the stereo stolen. He's sleeping here, where the car will be safe, tonight and getting the window replaced in the morning. Poor Louie. he has Army drill all weekend and will pay Uncuh back next week. why can't life be easier for these guys? the girls can't afford cars at all, and Doug's, although a nice car, is a constant expense and source of problems. he sure is on the fast track, as far as learning some independent living skills go, way more than the college kids are learning. college is a cushy Barbie Dream Date compared to sharing an apartment with a pile of teenage friends!

anyway, I'm craving cake.

late!

ok, so i blew it again. im trying!

last night i made chocolates. they were supposed to be for Halloween, but it got late, so i stuck to a thanksgiving/fall theme. cute huh? if youve read for my blog for any length of time, you know i make these for almost every holiday. 20 years later, still making them. my mom & dad look forward to it, so does the nursing home my mom volunteers at.

spent the day at home yesterday, cleaned my truck, raked leaves, played in leaf piles with the kids, just hung out. Yogi & T fixed the broken screen door. we drove courtney to work and back. nothing big. saving our money. today? no idea! hoping to have some fun. not with laundry LOL