Ladies, start your engines!

Busy, busy times.  October is the start of the “family season”.  Not only the Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s train gets rolling, but my son and husband have birthdays, there’s Halloween, and of course, in our house anyway, there is the World Series and the Super Bowl.  (Especially when the Texas Rangers are playing.  Go Rangers!)  I really enjoy decorating for fall, but somehow I seem to relate decorating for Christmas with high stress.  Every year I promise myself to do it differently; more sanely and more sweetly.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy the holidays; there is just so much expectation that goes along with it.  There are a lot of fun special opportunities.  There are parties.  Our church calendar is already filling up with fun and worthwhile service activities.  There are special things going on around town that we want to take advantage of.  Christmas movies are part of our traditions.  What is Christmas without “Rudolph”, “Frosty the Snowman”, “White Christmas”, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “Christmas Vacation”?  Those are all part of our traditions.  It’s just so darn busy.  I am always so relieved when it is time to go to church on Christmas Eve.  That is when I know that whatever is done or not, there is no more I can do.  It also brings me back to what it’s all about.  Time to exhale.  Whew!  But for right now, “Women, start your engines.”

So in the interest of keeping connected, this is what has been going on:

·         #2 son turned 14.  OMG.  As soon as he studies and takes a test, he will be awarded a learner’s permit to drive.   Crazy stuff.  He was sick on his birthday and the day before.  He wanted only one thing for his birthday.  (How many times did I hear “only one thing”?  He’s not spoiled much. ) He wanted a 32” flat screen mounted in his room.  Good for him, Best Buy had a special on installation or that wouldn’t have happened.  He went on a weekend church retreat with 3 of his friends and his dad was a counselor, so I would say that he had a pretty good birthday.

·         A week ago today, #1 went to court for one of his escapades.  The attorney told him the day before that he may not get a plea bargain as he had chosen not to respond when they sent him one.  The sentence could be as much as 9 years.  Luckily, he received 30 days and 5 years of probation.  He will get out just in time to appear for his next issue.  This never gets any easier.  I just try to remove myself from it.  Sometimes, I can actually do it.  Only sometimes. 

·         He and the girlfriend are going separate ways.  We had told her that she could stay with us while she got things ready to move to California with her mother.  We didn’t want her to stay by herself in the ghetto home they had rented.  But now I am really ready for her to go.  You have to push her with everything.  Yes, I am pushing.  We’ve supported her for 7 months.  That’s plenty.

·         Hub’s birthday is this Friday.  He is getting his “birthday weirdness” on.  He is such a girl some times.  We had a big party last year since he turned 60.  This year, not so much.  I couldn’t even invite his sis as our guest room has someone living in it.  L

·         Our youth group had a lock/in/out/down this past weekend.  #2 invited 5 of his friends to go.  They needed another chaperone so I went.  I intended to just stay until about 2 a.m. but ended up staying all night.  We started at the church and then went bowling and had pizza.  Then we went ice skating and broom ball.  Maybe I should say they went ice skating.  I did bowl though (and rather well I might say).  We went back to the church about 5 and a sweet mom was there with eggs, hot biscuits and sausage gravy.  I’m not usually a gravy person, but I have to admit it was really tasty.  I came home, took a Tylenol PM and slept until about 12:30.  Then we went to a “wienie” roast, hayride, and bonfire out in the beautiful country.  So beautiful and so much fun.  I love the people at our church…and toasted marshmallows, too.

·         Don’t know if I mentioned it or not, but I did find a new home for my grand dog.  Everyone promised to, but didn’t.  I finally put her on Craigslist and actually had several responses.  I’m sure she is much happier and I know that I am.

Hope you guys are enjoying the fall.  Have you discovered Pinterest?  It is my newest obsession.  If you haven’t decorated for fall, just go there.   I’m sure you will be inspired.

Later.