Looking ahead

wow, family gone, very nice visit.
Dropped my laptop at best buy. Should be back in 2-7 weeks. Large time frame. My desktop is horrible, thank goodness for THIS laptop.
Looking ahead in baby steps
tonight- stay awake long enough to finish this post, lol
tomorrow-take timmy to the vet, go to the lss, do some laundry, get stuff ready for lss garage sale next weekend
this weekend-make out a menu, scrapbook
New years eve- work 1/2 day, get food together, maybe rent a movie, relax
New Year's day- watch the razorbacks win the cotton bowl (dreaming here)

January-get bills in order
rid the house of clothes not needed
February- stay on top of bills
March- stay on top of bills
April- stay on top of bills
(get the drift)
BUT the big thing for the new year is I am going to scrapbook!
Guess what?
So are you!
Every week I am going to post a challenge. A get to know yourself, get to scrap yourself, challenge yourself. I am very excited about this. I have posed this to the lss and they haven't responded. I'm not going to wait. Every week, I will post a challenge and my layout to go with it. It's just an 8x8 layout. You should be able to complete this challenge with items you have at home. Remember this is not about how I do it, but about you. My question that I challenge you with, can be interpreted several different ways. If you have ideas about a challenge you would like to see, please email me (cmsnt40@cs.com). I have about 5 layouts down and am looking forward to this. So, who is with me?

Betsy

My Christmas eve

Christmas eve has always been the big day of our holiday. We don't eat meat on this day (I can't even tell you why, I think it's a family tradition). When we were little, we used to go to the movies, then get some fish (either at home or at like a Long john silver's), then home to open our gifts. As we have gotten older we traded the movie for red lobster.
Growing up (then I will cover the present day)
we would go to my aunt's house (my mom's sister) and have Christmas there. after a meal we would go to the basement and open gifts. All gifts were divided and we would start to open, from youngest to oldest. First Robin, Kelly, Chip, Me, my brother, My aunt, My uncle, my mom, my dad, my grandma and then my grandpa. Well you can bet the kids didn't stick around to watch the older ones' open.
Age about 13 memory
One holiday, I remember my grandparents (my dad's) parents coming over. I thought how cool would it be to number the gifts. So we did. All gifts went under the tree, got numbered and then we drew numbers. Everyone had to watch that person open their gift and then had to wait to see who got the next present. This gone on.
About the last 10 years.
We still number gifts here at home. we usually celebrate with my mom and dad, my brother and his family (even though they celebrate chanukah), Scott, the kids and myself. We have went from over 250 gifts under the tree, when the kids were smaller, to this year, there are around 50 gifts there. I think Max will have the most. Kacey got plane tickets so I didn't get her much, yeah right, she got a new camera and mp3 player.
Present day
today we will get up and fight for hot water, there are 9 of us here. Eat something light, then go to red lobster (bart and I would be fine with potato soup and tuna sandwiches, but dad wants to go). Then last minute groceries/gifts and then home to gather around and open gifts.

Love your family

I made this

LOL!! How funny is that? Sounds funny
But really, every year we give my grandparents gift cards to local restuarants. I made this to hold them
Enjoy!

quick update

here at work
luggage is here
shopping is not done
parents arrive tomorrow
hopefully I will have more to post soon
Happy HOlidays

Safe, sound, sans luggage

So, Kacey is FINALLY home. Left Thursday from Northwest Arkansas laid over in Atlanta. Went to St Louis, spent the night with family. Left Friday morning from St Louis, went to Detroit, to get to Wauseun (hope I spelled that right) Ohio for a drum corps audition. Fast forward to Sunday evening. She was supposed to go Detroit to St Louis, spend the night and then St Louis to Northwest arkansas. NOT!
They woke up to about a foot of snow on Sunday. THe bus took them to the airportm, dropped them off. Northwest airlines can't get her to St Louis, BUT they can get her to Tulsa (about 90 minutes away). Great do that. Been at the airport since 2ish. Supposed to leave at 7 be here around 830. Changed then, leave at 10ish, be here by 1218. Then cancelled. And then according to the lady at the nwa counter, there's the phone, they can rebook you. Great, Kacey calls, hysterically mind you. She has been rescheduled to leave the next day (today) at 7 get here at 830 ish. The problem is, it was PM. Now mind you, Kacey is tired, filthy, crabby, etc. So I 3 way call the nwa line. Karen got on the phone. She can get her on a flight to Tulsa leaving at 3ish, getting in at 4ish. SO, I say take it. Meanwhile, the lady who has adopted Kacey has a nwa agent on her cell phone, getting her a flight out at 6am. Kacey has me on one ear and Jennifer's phone to the other ear. Just in time to hear that Jennifer's reservation has been kicked back on the 6am flight. Great. Just get her on that flight, ok? Fine, that happens.
Next hysterical phone call. Kacey and Jennifer had an elder lady that had been on her flight also, lets call her Emma. Kacey/Jennifer think she's about 75ish. Emma is traveling from her sons in New York to her daughter's in Tulsa. Emma's son has paid NWA to have a companion with her. Is there anyone around? NO! Kacey told me today after I picked her up that Emma had clearly had an accident and smelled really bad. They weren't sure she had eaten good either. Jennifer/Kacey had been in contact with the son. BUT, when they find a NWA agent at around 130 am my time, so 230 am there, they ask the agent where her help was. Agent said, I don't know, where is her paper work. Emma can't find it. Now she has been in the airport since 2 like Kacey/Jennifer. Agent says I guess we can look her up and takes Emma towards the counter. Kacey asked if she was supposed to have someone with her would this lady take care of her. Agent said, no, I have my own job to do. Now what a crock of poop! So Kacey/Jennifer leave her and find the shuttle to the concourse of where they are supposed to be. I go to sleep. Get up 2 hours later start texting Kacey who is still awake. She gets on the plane in Detroit, headed for Denver. Gets to Denver, lets me know she is there. Gets on plane in Denver to Tulsa. I get there, good thing I am late since she has no luggage. Can't find it. Anywhere. Not on NWA, not on Frontier, not on United. No luggage. None. There was a girl at the counter who has been missing her luggage since last Thursday. NWA said not our problem. You came in on United, it's their problem. United said they never got it, it's NWA's. United was very nice to her. Frontier was great. NWA sucks. She said I don't want to fly NWA ever again, at least not for a long time.
Guess we will see if her luggage comes in. Let's see her sleeping bag is in there, her favorite jeans from express, her 7 jeans, her Glassmen hoodie, etc.
BUT, she's home and safe and asleep and showered.
Thanks for reading this far

I'm bringing home a stranger

Scott called today, he and Max went into town. They called me from Walmart. Scott said he's bringing a stranger home. I had to wait till they got home till I knew what they were talking about. What do you think? I love it!

Like father, like son

Max got his letterman jacket on Thursday.
Scott actually still fits in his, lol!

The perfect one

So, those that have read my blog, know we had a kitty show up Halloween night. We named him Jack. As in jack o lantern, etc. He is the most loving kitty. He really is, more like a dog than a cat. Two nights ago, he found the perfect one. The perfect boy to love him. To devote his time to him. To play with him. The perfect one. I hope that Jack is celebrating with Carlos today. It's Carlos' birthday.
I've never given a child up for adoption, but I think you would just know when you found the right family. I know I found the right boy to give Jack to. Carlos, thank you for loving Jack. For giving him a good home. Happy Birthday!

psssssssstt dad? quit reading now

HAHA! (hey it's ok, since these aren't what we ordered)
As a family this evening, we went and took some photos. I took about 60ish photos. Quite fun. I ordered some for Christmas cards. Funny, since I don't usually send cards. I only ordered 10, so I guess I have to be particular on who gets one. Oh, leave me your address if you want one.
We went to the lss and took pics. The place is amazing and I guess we were entertainment for the ladies there.
I remember hitting the button to start the timer, running to the seat, and looking at Kacey while she "prepared" her finger to give her dad a wet willy. The look on his face when she did that was priceless! Then they thought they would take a funny pic when I went to change lenses, they took a few with my empty chair.

Today I am the mom of a 17 year old

I wonder what my mom felt like, when I, her baby, turned 17. I wonder if she realized that her baby was growing up?
We spent the evening by going to Herman's. Wish I could tell you it was wonderful, but it was just ok. I ate WAY too much. The shrimp were good and free! The bus person spilled Scott's drink in his lap. I cracked up. I just didn't want the guy to start trying to blot his lap, although that would have been funnier. Here's a funny picture from this evening for him.



AND so, here is my newest Chistmas memory. This is Max and I in front of the tree. Notice what is on top of my tree. Its an angel. I grew up with this angel on top of the tree. Many years ago, my parents gave this to me. Now it adorns my tree. I think that it has been around for about 30 maybe 35 years? Even though my tree had silver decor, it still gets this angel that spends about 3 weeks a year on top my tree, then it goes back into the pringles can that holds it.


I have a few more pics that show Timmy (the cat) on the screen looking in the window at us.
Oh, and I get to sleep an hour later tomorrow. That will be nice.
Have a great evening!

Christmas memory

mamichelle posted one, so let me dig deep and I will try and find one while I am here at work.

Growing up, we always had a real tree. Not just A real tree, but a tree we had cut down. Walking through a Christmas tree farm and tagging a tree, that someone cut down. My parents were sweet enough to let me get my own tree for my room. So I could decorate, etc. Lots of fun.

SHHH! Here's my ornament for the exhange!

Tomorrow night is the Diamond/diva party at the lss. I like to make an ornament instead of buying one. then I figure out how to attach a 5.00 gift card to it. This is what I came up with this year. I used scraps of paper/bling/ribbon, etc.