Merry Christmas!

It has been a whirlwind of a week! Things have been crazy, company, traveling and just the crazy of making sure the holiday is perfect.

I learned a lesson last week. A friend brought me a gift, one that really shows me she knows who I am. It was a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke. This is my one vice, one I'm not willing to give up. It also reminded me that giving gifts at Christmas is finding the gift that fits the person. 

We enjoyed a few days with my mom and then my dad, brother and his family joined us on Christmas day. It was a mad-house of gift opening and wrapping paper flying all over and smoke and food and well, that's for another day!

Watching the smiling faces, hearing the shrieks of joy and watching the smiles on everyone's faces made it worth the days of cleaning and shopping (and wrapping, the worst of it all).

Then it was a trip north to visit The Boss's family. My dear sweet nephew was celebrating his first Christmas and it was great fun to share that with him. He had no interest in the gifts, only in getting at the toys inside.

We made it home, although it wasn't as nice as the trip up. Now to get the food done for the retirement party for a coworker of the Boss's tomorrow and a chance to take a couple of days off for some quiet.

The kitties were happy to see us, as they did not like the temp of the house while we were gone. Bitsey curled up in my vest and rode around for an hour or so, reminding me of my pregnancy days. Mickey waited until I sat down and then snuggled up on my lap for an episode or two of the Walking Dead.

Back to work tomorrow, gonna be a cold one and I'm in the drafty Mustang, but at least I have great new socks and mittens to stay warm!

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief!

The Blue of Christmas

I do have my decorations up. No more lights outside, as my shrub  used to put them on is gone and no one can see them if we put lights on the deck. The winds would tear down anything on the gutters, so I keep it simple now and enjoy the beauty of the lights.

In law enforcement, there is the thin blue line that shows support of police. There is also the blue light in the window to honor fallen officers. 

My window (and tree, which is not in this picture) are done in blue and white in honor of all law enforcement officers out there, serving their communities.

It has been a tough year, saying good-bye to one of our own here in Helena, and for way too many families in the law enforcement community. There are not words I can use to describe how I feel for the officers that are accused of wrong-doing when they are just trying to do what is right.

When we have asked, we have had officers come to our scouting meetings to talk to our children, often on their own time, bringing goodies for the kiddos. I have had officers come to my classrooms when I was teaching, to share what they do with the little ones and help them see the officers as good people (to be fair, I've done the same with fire fighters).

As we celebrate this holiday season, please stop and remember that these men and women choose to take on this career, choose to give up some of their holidays with family and choose to stand up for what is right.

Merry Christmas to one and all, I promise a more light-hearted blog about Christmas later this week.

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief!

Finally, dinner!

This week has been so crazy, today is the first day I have had the opportunity to fix a full dinner. So, lasagna (just like I made for my broken winged friend) was on the menu.  I didn't have my regular pan, so had to be a little creative to get it to work in the bigger pan.

(I added extras, Tater and Bean were not impressed.)

My biggest "help" while cooking was not much help at all, but this section of the floor is very clean.

Once it was all ready to go

I tin-foiled the pan and buttered and garliced the bread and had them both ready to go on the stove to pop in the oven while I was tutoring.

I'm pleased to report only 3 small pieces from the 9x13 pan are left and the bread has disappeared completely.

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief!

This week at the old homestead. Boy do I love December!

Firstly, someone had the gall to turn another year older. She had a fun birthday (at another friend's birthday party) and is now experimenting with a new 9 year old attitude. Mom does not approve.

Bean had his first official concert. They had a small Jazz band concert earlier this fall, but this was the first time they were all dressed up and playing officially. Bean had a solo both with the Jazz band and with Symphonic Winds, this mom was bursting at the seams.

Finally, the trouble twins strike again, this time getting in to their Christmas presents and carrying them around the house.

Ah well, Christmas party tonight and I need to run dinner to a friend who fell victim to the ice and broke her wrist yesterday.

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief!

(mine was harmless but fun today!)

Birthday? How?

As this long, stressful week comes to a close, I enjoyed some decorating time with Tater.

She wanted chocolate cupcakes with neon pink frosting.

Then she had to put on sprinkles.

And somehow, somewhere, she found Halloween ghoul candies. They were tossed into the mix.

So they're ready to go into the car tomorrow and end up eaten by hungry third graders. 

I put myself out there, took a risk, stepped out of my comfort zone and set myself up to be looked at differently by co-workers. I didn't get the end goal, but learned a lot about myself and my coworkers through the process and don't regret a moment of it. Now I can relax and focus on some much needed projects that need some attention.

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief!

At least it wasn't the tree....

I was warm and comfy this morning, enjoying some quiet and reading a good book.  I hear a thump and assume the kittens are wrestling.  I was right, sort of...

They were just wrestling with my plant. We moved the table to make it more difficult for them to get on the counter. Unfortunately, it made the spider plant on the water cooler more accessible and Bitsey has always been obsessed with the little plants dangling down from the main plant. Whether or not it was her going after it or her big brother assisting, I have no idea.

As you see, she wasn't in the least bit as innocent as the kids will try and convince me she was.

I think this one can be blamed on the both of them. There was dirt everywhere, glad I didn't sweep last night like I had planned, instead waiting until I had the dishes done this morning.  Little brats.

I'm off to work on some shopping for the kidlets for Christmas and hope the migraine (an actual one not a sinus one this time) stays away, but I'm still feeling twinges. Might be an overload of stress already this week!

Someone is trying to look cute so I forgive him...did it work for any of you?

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief!
 (although the kitties have spent their mischief points for a month or so!)

Celebration

This is my celebration dinner.

The best part is my Harry Potter World pint glass! Although I dearly love grilled cheese.

I took a risk today.

I stepped way out of my comfort zone.

Regardless of how this turns out, I'm happy with what I did and how I did it. Obviously, I am hoping I met the requirements and can move into a new challenge, but if not, I feel like I did my best.

Hope you all are warm, happy and loved.

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief!

Thanksgiving

I just put the last of the dishes from Thanksgiving away. I believe we ran the dishwasher 4 times on Thursday. 

Mr. Mickey is finally big enough for his britches, I mean harness, and he wandered outside with Dizzy to explore. This is causing problems, as he now wants to go outside all the time...

After a major cleaning and rearranging (and de-cluttering) of the kitchen, we had a clean table to eat dinner at.

Due to the size of our total group, we had to add in an extra table to fit everyone.

A good time was had by all, we played cards, laughed and celebrated being thankful for good friends. My mom was worried about some really crappy weather, so she stayed home and hopes to come up soon.

It was warm enough on Thanksgiving for Dizzy to be in capris and a t-shirt (I think close to 60). Woke up this morning to something very different. It was -2 when I left to work the college football concession stand, -3 when I left. The Boss, Bean and Dizzy headed south to Bozeman where it was 41 when I left, but only about 6 when they got there and a lot of snow. 

Football (college) for me is over for the year, as both our local team and  my Bobcats lost in playoff games today. It was a good season and both teams played well today, an ending to be proud of.

A bit more cleaning and I'll be digging out the decorations and starting the Christmas crazy. I did not shop on Thanksgiving, but did a little bit Black Friday morning (starting at 7 and was at work by 9). 

Besides the kitchen, changes are still moving forward, I hope to have more news within a week or so. Until then,

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to stay warm (and manage mischief)!

Today needs to go away...

First, this is my weather...

Then I get these in the mail for Bean....

I think it's wine-thirty and time to hide in a book for the rest of the day! Hope the Boss is home to pick up Dizzy after practice (they're in the above weather putting together a tree lot).

Random kitty pictures, just cause!

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief!

Changes

I made homemade chicken noodle soup today. It began yesterday, where I made my own chicken stock, making the house smell yucky all day. Using that with some of the chicken I pulled off the bones I boiled to make the stock and some carrots, celery and garlic, I made a slow cooker full of soup. 

When I got home, I added gymnastic shaped pasta and let it simmer a bit before we dug in and enjoyed bowls full.

I'm in the process of making some changes in my life. I won't say anything more than that right now, but things could be changing. Something I will say is that there are some amazing people in my life right now and I would not trade them for the world!

In other news, Bean is sick, Tater's wrist hurts after falling on the playground and Mickey Mouse got to go outside on a leash today.

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief!

Mom! It's cold out

And, no, this isn't my 2-legged children complaining about the weather.

The window perch is empty most of the time. No kitties watching the goings on from their spot on high.

I'm way more likely to find them underfoot in the kitchen. Anyone want to guess where the heat vent is at?

Oh to be a kitten with the only worry is where to sleep each day!

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief!

Kitchen crazy!

Made it to work with the banana bread (contaminated and not contaminated) and the pumpkin doughnut holes.  Only 3 small pieces of bread and 1 doughnut left.

Today's mess:

dinner

more banana bread

pies for church tomorrow (still have 2 to make after this)

I have to say, I love my food processor! Made the pies in seconds!

Be happy! Be healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief!

What to do when you are gone from home from 7am to 8:30 pm?

I think it is a great idea to make banana bread and experiment with a new recipe.  This has to start, of course, with my flipping the wrong side of the recipe book up and starting off by mixing up a batch of cornbread...I didn't have 3 hours to spare. Toss that one in the garbage and start over...

So I ended up with this:

Which makes this:

And in the waiting for The Boss to bring home some more flour (see mess up in the first paragraph), I made these:

And to finish off a day where I had Bean at school at 7:30, work at 9, tutor at 2:30, make a side dish and get Dizzy to practice and then gather Bean and Tater to join the Boss at a Boy Scout Court of Honor at 6. I had to leave before the potluck to get Dizzy from practice and visit briefly with her coach.

I enjoyed this:

Be happy! Be healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief!

The top 2 pictures are of banana bread (one cooking and one finished) and the doughnut holes are homemade pumpkin. The wine is just a glass of wine.

Friday fun

Cat trap 2-fer. 

You know the phrase, "If it fits, I sits." This box is big enough for 2. I set it down and 2 minutes later it was full.

Tonight is football playoffs, The Boss and Bean will be freezing their tails off at the stadium. Go Bengals! Dizzy will be experiencing her first Middle School Lock-in and I'll join her later ('accidentally' missing the ice breakers) after sitting on the school gym floor watching Finding Nemo with Tater.

Tomorrow is the final home game for our local college team and yours truly will be working concessions again. Just might be a cold one...

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief this weekend!

Another day in paradise

And, for those of you a certain age who are now singing along, the day started out at eight degrees below zero.

As it was dropping to that temperature last night, I was out in the uninsulated, unheated garage, sorting frozen butterbraids so I could get them delivered today.

I put the ones for work in my trunk (it was certainly colder there than in my freezer). 

So, ran the girls to the bus this morning, in my winter jacket and my jammies. No, I didn't embarrass them and get out of the car or anything, but I wasn't getting dressed to run a quarter mile down the road.

I get ready, actually did my hair today, blow dry and used a curling iron and a straightening iron on it. It has a new shorter length and coppery-red highlights.

I get to work, gather my bag, my lunch, my soda, my purse, my gloves and the bags of Scout popcorn I was delivering. Then I get into the trunk to get the butterbraids. Thinking I had everything, I shut the trunk and headed in to work to start the day.

Two hours later, a co-worker wanders over to ask me about my gloves.  "If you are looking for them later, I think they are sticking out of your trunk, or you have a dead body trying to get out."

No, it's not the zombie apocalypse. It's just my gloves sticking out of the trunk. At least it wasn't something important!

Survived tutoring, middle school parent-teacher conferences for Dizzy, visiting a friend, collecting Dizzy from practice, heading as far across town as possible to get Bean from his Boy Scouts Order of the Arrow meeting and then home.

Since getting home, I've tucked in kids, snitched part of Dizzy's dinner (I missed out tonight), re-tucked Tater back into bed when she started sleepwalking and have written over 1500 words on my November Novel. It is going well so far, but I'm running out of storyline. I know where I want it to go, but I can't see how to get there.

Guess I'll have to get out my inspiration pack from the first write-in and see if it can help. I ate the snickers earlier, but I might have the kit kat left...

I have 3rd grade movie night, middle school library lock in and working the college football game to look forward to in the next 48 hours. Somehow in there I want to watch some more Castle episodes and continue to write at least 1700 words each day. 

And the happy news, it's supposed to be above freezing next week! Ready to have double digit temps again!

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief today!

Ice

Ice is not fun.  Driving on ice is definitely not fun. My car is on injured reserves for a little while, as The Boss was being a rock star and checking fluid levels and had a cover drop down, Plinko style, into the engine area and disappear. So, new cover is on order and I'm driving something else today.

The Boss thought I would be fine driving his Mustang today. So, it fits in the work parking lot better than our pick-up, so I went with that.

I was doing OK, not great, but thought I might have it handled, until the little college girl walked out in fa hill.

SHE WALKED OUT IN FRONT OF ME ON ICE!

I'm not sure she was thinking, but she was very friendly and gave me a huge wave and smile. MORON!

So, I didn't hit her, but now I am stuck, because rear-wheel drive Mustangs don't like snow and ice and I was on ice.

Knew I needed to back up, but had no way to with traffic coming up.  Was almost in tears before a very kind gentleman came up, parked behind me and came to help. This gave me the chance to back up safely, get off the ice that I had been spinning on and move forward on the crispy snow at the side of the road. He also gave me a push, which helped as well.

I only went sideways a couple of times after that and made it to the end of the hilly part of my drive (except that one part).

Then as I'm driving from the convenience store to work (needed my soda infusion for the day and to get out of the car for a moment), a young driver pulls out in front of me.  Yes, I went sideways again. 

That young man found me after we parked and apologised.  I was very impressed.

Homeward was easier (and mostly downhill).

I'm now driving our pick-up. 

Can't wait for Wednesday when I get my car back, with snow tires. I'm very stressed about ice.

I want this back. Dizzy told me today on the way to gymnastics that she wants to move to Florida!

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to use common sense when the roads are icy!

The weather is a-changin'

First signs at our house that things are changing:

None of us can get up from our seats without losing them.  Fortunately, they're willing to snuggle, so we share.

It was a nice, peaceful day. I was home-bound, as the brake fluid cap in my car is missing. So, I stayed home, watched football, did laundry and the Boss smoked a pork loin for dinner.

And yes, I have leftovers for another night. So very excited! We also had homemade coleslaw and it was amazing as well.

Unfortunately, the weather has changed and therefore all of the stuff for the smoker was on the deck.  

Now it resides in my house:

This week brings practice, parent/teacher conferences for Dizzy and popcorn delivery. Am guessing the Girl Scout nuts will be in soon as well, as will the butterbraids and the pasta Dizzy sold.

Be Happy! Be Healthy! Be sure to manage some mischief!