A-Z Photo Challenge-R

A-Z Photo Challenge-R

To Play Visit Martha at Menagerie...

Reindeer
















Red Ornaments
















Red Poinsettias



























Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
















Raisin






























Happy Journaling...

Relaxing Time...

Hubby and son2 are off getting pizzas and chips and dips... I should be cleaning up the kitchen, lol, but I sneaked on here for a second... Work was good today, a regular day, in at 6am and off at 2pm... The ad set up was easy and I was done by 9:30... I stocked toddler shoes, went to lunch, and spent the rest of the time stocking athletic shoes and chit chatting, of course helping customers in between... Hubby was busy all day putting up Christmas lights and decorations in the house... And son2 put the reindeer in the front lawn... When I got home son3 was off playing at the neighbors, now he is on the computer games... I'm trying to get him off so we can eat dinner, watch a Christmas movie, then he is in the shower and getting a haircut... When I got home from work I gave son2 a lesson in doing laundry and I finished getting the pictures ready for the Christmas cards... I need to check if it's a burn day today so we can get the the boys to bed early for school tomorrow and then hubby and I can have a fire in the fireplace and have some relaxing time...
Happy Journaling...

***Saturday***

I happily read blogs last night, starting at the bottom and working up through the N's, lol... Having to work til 5pm today and then fighting with the printer for the last two hours to print out photos for the Christmas cards and eating some dinner, I did not have time to read tonight... I did eat dinner though and feed the boys and I did get the printer to finally cooperate and finish printing the pictures... Son2 is watching The Postman with Kevin Costner and son3 is watching Space Chimps now that I have pried his fingers off the game computer... Hubby is home and came in panicked cause I had not turned on all the outside house lights... I did not know if he had finished fixing the ones on the roof so waited til he got home... He has been coming home everyday to a strand of lights somewhere not being on... He even had to take some back and exchange them cause they were already broken, so he is not having good luck with the Christmas lights this year and they are making him frustrated...


Work was good today... Even though it was Saturday we were not quite as busy as we have been all week... Everyone's still messy though... I put up some more sale signs this morning and changed out some empty sale tables... And then I spent most of the day stocking men's work boots... I got all the boxes caught up, there are no boxes in receiving until the next truck comes, Yay!! So I have lots of shoes to put out now... Tomorrow I have the whole ad to change out with all new signs and then after lunch I will either start on stocking the men's dress shoes or work on athletic shoes or put out some more clearance... all depends on my mood and how busy we are...
I had all kinds of witty things to write about in my head while I was at work and now that it is 9pm I can't remember what they were, lol...
I have not even been out in the yard, the backyard needs mowing badly, but it is grey and dreary and cold out there by time I get home... I still need to cut back the roses too and plant the bulbs for the Spring... At least next week's schedule I am back to my 35 hours instead of 40... That 5 hours makes a big difference on the home routine...
Tomorrow after work gotta give son3 a haircut and hopefully finish up the Christmas cards so they can all be in the mail by Monday... And clean up the kitchen, even though son2 has been emptying and filling the dishwasher, he doesn't wash the pans or counters, lol...
Hubby has the next two days off so lots more decorating will be going on... And I want to get on wrapping the presents next... Christmas day is going to be here before we know it...
I already have thoughts for some New Years resolutions I want to accomplish in January.... OK sorry I won't go there yet... :)
I think we are almost caught up on all the TV shows, everything is starting to be repeats now for the holidays... I think we just have a Criminal Minds and a CSI NY to watch... Maybe we can watch one before I fall asleep... Have to be up at 4:30am to do it all over again....
Happy Journaling...

***Friday***

Ok I think I have it figured out on why I haven't been able to get into a routine of reading blogs... I thought it was so cool that all the blogs listed on my blog say when they posted putting the most recent on top... Well that is the problem, the blogs keep moving and I don't know where I started or left off from the day before... So I have now selected the alphabetical order instead and will remember where I left off reading, lol, like the alerts used to be in emails... I had them in alphabetical order so I could select which letters to read each day....

Work was OK yesterday... The days are just so long since I am working full shifts and then I've been shopping a bit after work and then come home to fix dinner and son3's homework... Yesterday I just spent the whole day opening boxes again... Today I spent most of the day doing price changes for athletic shoes and men's shoes and cleaning the clearance racks and filling them... Then I opened boxes, so today went by way quicker...

Let's see Tuesday night we watched Space Chimps and Fringe, then Wednesday night we watched Meet Dave and last night we watched Fly Me to The Moon and Eleventh Hour... So tonight I have to watch the endings to all those shows, lol... Cause I can't even stay awake lately if I sit down... This morning son2 and I both overslept, fortunately son2 had foggy day or he would have missed the bus... I got to work on time as usual, even when I try to be late I still get there on time, lol...

Tonight's goals are read some blogs, work on the Christmas cards and finish all the shows... Son3 is off on his computer games... He's still wearing his patch, shh don't tell him, lol... I usually try to have him wear it at least a half hour, but the longer the better, he's had it on for an hour and fifteen minutes now... Son2 is gonna do the dishes for me and then he is gonna watch The Happening...

Happy Journaling...

A Quiet Morning

A nice quiet morning just for me... The boys are at school, hubby is off to work... I've been checking email, ordered son2's cell phone for Christmas, made a list of what I need to get done today... Wondering why I am so far behind in reading blogs, lol, I have just not gotten into a routine of reading lately and I don't like it... Seems on blogger I write more, where's in journals, I was always reading more...

Monday night we ended up getting Japanese food at Teriyaki Fresh, it was so good, even the boys gobbled it up... And we watched Polar Express... Last night I cooked pork cube steak with all the thanksgiving leftovers and we watched Space Chimps, very cute and funny, although I fell asleep and need to watch the end...

Work was good yesterday but long as I had to stay all day, a full shift, I'm spoiled I know... But I scanned the floor and generated the report, stocked all the work boots and then spent the entire day opening boxes... We are so almost caught up...

Now today I want to put some treats in the advent calendar, laundry, dishes, pay some bills, half the Christmas cards are done and ready for the mail but need to work on the other half, clean out all the Christmas catalogs that have been filling up the house since Halloween, open the packages that have come from ordering online and make sure they are all there, a few bday cards to send out, water the plants, vacuum, cut son3's hair and of course there will be homework to do... Dinner will be easy of leftovers and we have Meet Dave to watch tonight with Eddie Murphy... Hubby wants to put the Christmas lights on the tree tonight... and it will probably be next Wednesday til he gets all the decorations done, inside and out...

Happy Journaling...

Strange Shots

Are you ready for another round of Strange Shots?

To Play Visit Martha at Menargerie...













Happy Journaling...

A Few Pictures

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Journaling...

December is here...

Today hubby and I shopped til we dropped... And we found not much... Everything is sold out... In the stores and on line... We went to the postal annex and got lots of stamps... We went to the dollar store and found lots of stocking stuffers and advent calendar treats... We went to Toys R Us and found nothing... We went to Walmart and just got basic stuff of cat food and toilet paper and cola and hubby did find two more strings of lights for the yard... Then we went to Target and finally found a few Christmas presents for the boys... We came home and had some turkey for lunch... Then online to Walmart and nothing in stock to buy... So off to Toys R Us online and we found a couple of toys... Finally at Target online and we found a few more toys... Seems this is the year that we keep finding lots for son2 but not much for son3... Last year it was the other way around...
Today son2 started his day back to school with foggy day schedule of a three hour bus delay... Son3 got off to school just great and came home all full of energy... Son2 came home all grumpy, tired probably... Now son3 is doing homework and son2 is talking with hubby about something that happened just before vacation started... Seems some of his friends thought it would be funny to put son2's school binder in another friend's backpack and so the friend had son2's binder all vacation and son2 had a paper in it that needed signing and brought back to school today... Costing him twenty points for not turning in the paper today, however most of the class didn't turn it in so the teacher gave them another day, so he got lucky... And they dumped out perfume in another friends sport bag and tied knots so that she was late to practice... And another friend they filled his backpack with wet leaves and dirt... Of course they all thought it was just funny... Son2 was mad, however now he is moving past mad at them and mad at me cause I said he could no longer go to the Christmas party at the house of one of the friend's who pulled the pranks... So he and hubby are talking it out...
Son3 is needing my help to do homework and I'm not feeling like making dinner or eating turkey so thinking what can hubby can pick up for dinner... and last night we didn't watch any of the Santa Clauses cause no one could agree on which one so we watched The Grinch with Jim Carrey instead... Tonight Terminator is on and I need to finish CSI cause I fell asleep last night while hubby and I were watching it... lol...
Happy Journaling...

Concluding...

Today is a day of concluding things... Concluding, is that a word, doesn't sound right, lol... Today is the last day of the NaBloPoMo challenge of posting every day in November... And you just thought I had lots to say... And today was the last day of the weekend and the last day of the busiest shopping time... Woo hoo... Today was a normal day at work, arrive at 6am and we didn't open til 10am, no early opening today... However it took me til 1:30pm to finish setting up the ad, when usually I finish by 10:30am with or without help... I had to take down all the signs and change all the tables and then put up all new signs... Supervisor came in at 8am and signed kids and women's... Then the next associate came in at 10am and signed the athletics... I signed all men's and changed all the men's tables by 10am, then it was time for lunch... Came back and changed the athletic and women's tables and then went to make all the signs I was missing but had to wait 40minutes as other associates were also in need of signs, so finally by 1:30pm I had put up the last sign... So the last half hour I opened a couple of boxes and called it a day... Tomorrow I finally have a day off! Yay! So hubby and I can go shopping at other stores, lol...
Hubby and the boys have been putting up more Christmas lights and the big blow up Snowman in the yard... Now hubby is doing dishes... And having son2 do his chores... Son3 is filling up on chips and dips, so I need to get dinner started... Hmmmm what should we have, maybe Turkey, lol... Both hubby and son2 asked what was for dinner... Duh, turkey.....
They are deciding what Christmas movie to watch tonight, maybe one of the Santa Clauses with Tim Allen...
I finally got the picture to delete and changed the heading, yay, I thought it was going to be Christmas all next year without being able to change the heading... I think I know my mistake... I clicked on browse computer but the web choice was clicked too so it made a link to the picture in my computer, so deleted the photo from the computer, but it still took a bit for it to fall out... So hopefully all is fixed now and I can happily change out the picture all month to different Christmas themes...
Ok hubby is pulling the leftovers from the fridge and commenting that we need more potatoes and stuffing, so I'm off to cook and feed the men....
Happy Journaling...

The Day After the day after

I am still fighting with that picture up there, it won't delete and I can't change it.... But I'm tired and after this entry I am going to cut son2's hair, eat some more dinner and kick back... I am getting a little bit sad now that the boys go back to school in just one more day and I have been working all week... I still have to work again tomorrow and then hubby and I have a day off while the boys are back in school... Hopefully we can do a bit of Christmas shopping...

Today wasn't as good a day at work as yesterday and yesterday was the busiest shopping day of the year... However yesterday everyone came in to shop knowing what they were getting in to... Today we were just a usual Saturday busy and yet everyone brought their attitudes with them to shop... And unfortunately since we were all tired and still cleaning and stocking and recovering from yesterday we were giving a bit of attitude right back.... I was very surprised at how much the closers got done in getting everything cleaned... We have a lot of mismates to deal with but not any more then we have been dealing with since we went to all self serve shoes... I got all the sale tables filled back up and was going to stock a bit today but no one was liking any of my answers to their questions so I hid in the stockroom most of the day opening boxes and kinda kicking back, since I work hard all year, I deserve this time to slack off... No.... Tomorrow is a big ad day of taking down the entire ad and then re signing everything again... Next week will be another 40 hour week...

Son3 is watching Alvan and the Chipmunks... I'm still waiting for son2 so I can cut his hair... Hubby will be home soon... Not much else going on... The boys and I have been eating the turkey and pumpkin pie, mostly pumpkin pie, lol.... Off to relax...

Happy Journaling...

The Day After

Grrrrr... I was changing things around in the blog and see that hello snowman picture up there, I can't delete it.... So I'm gonna walk away and fight with it some more tomorrow...

Well I survived today at work but boy are we tore up... I feel bad for the closers, a little... I got there at 5am and both doors had people lined up around the building... A few people stopped in shoes but most of them were running for electronics... By 8am however everyone was in shoes and tearing up the women's fashion boots... The men's work boot tables I could clean and keep stocking... The women's fashion boot tables no one would let us near them... And there were boxes and lids and boots and paper everywhere... I would clear a little spot on the table to stock some more boots, turn around and some one would have already dumped boots in the empty spot that were in their way... So I stuck with the men's, athletics and kids tables... And I made sure I was in the stockroom most of the day opening boxes trying to find more sale shoes... I went to breakfast/lunch at 9am... Almost finished my next book by Max Lucado, The Christmas Candle.. It's a quick read and very cute story... I was off at 1:45 but had to wait til 2, when everyone was back from their lunches... Tomorrow I go back 6-2:45 and I have a lot of stocking to do in men's shoes.... And finish opening the rest of the boxes and we will be officially caught up...

We had a good Thanksgiving yesterday... Phone calls to family, lots of good food, and son1 and girlfriend did stop by finally at 5pm... We had just finished eating... We weren't sure they were going to be able to come as girlfriend fell at work and hurt her back... Not an hour after we called son1 in the morning to find out if they were able to come over, son1 called back saying she had hurt herself and he was taking her to the doctor... By 3:30 we had heard nothing so son2 called and son1 said she didn't go to the doctor and after they finished getting ready they would be over... We went ahead and ate and they arrived just before 5pm... They ate, we talked a bit, had pie and then at 6pm they were out the door and on the way to girlfriend's family... OK then... So we had more pie, lol, and watched Fred Claus... Not a bad movie, better than I was expecting...

Two more days and the boys are back to school... Son2 is more than ready, he just doesn't know what to do with himself... Son3 thought he still had four more days, lol... We haven't even read son3's library books and both boys need haircuts...Nor have we done son3's practice book or has he worn his patch... And I still haven't got to the Christmas cards... They are sitting on the table still waiting... But I do hope to work on them tonight and maybe watch a movie with the boys, Christmas Vacation... But I have blogs to read... and laundry to do... and I'm tired... I had some turkey as soon as I got home, with stuffing on a roll... and some pumpkin pie... Son3 has uncrustables and son2 just had pumpkin pie... The turkey still calls me though... And Raisin is circling my chair as the turkey is calling him too, lol, he already had some twice when I got home...

Happy Journaling...

Thanksgiving

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Journaling...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!! Hubby has the turkey in the oven and Christmas music playing... I am waiting for the parade to start, any minute now... The boys are still sleeping, lol... No, I hear one of the boys making his way down the hall.......




I survived work last night, barely... There were six of us when I first got there and we began setting up the ad at 3pm... I set up all the big signs while four of the associates signed the individual shoes... By six the two day associates went home and I had signed all the athletic shoes... So I took over and finished signing all the men's shoes... Two of the associates had signed kids and the supervisor was still signing women's... At 6:30pm we started dinners... At 7pm one of the associates who I thought was at dinner came to me and said she didn't feel well and I told her to go to dinner or at least go sit down since she didn't feel well to the supervisor got back from dinner, I think the associate went home as we never saw her again the rest of the night... By 7:40pm it was my turn for dinner... I finished reading my book, Middle of Nowhere, finally, it was so dry, a police who done it, so I had to find who done it... When I got back from dinner the store was closing and I then had to put up all the signs for the Friday morning specials... We were so busy with customers however and the department was tore up and the last customers finally left a half hour after the store was closed.... So supervisor and the other associate were busy cleaning and then I helped them from ten to midnight... We are still rough looking but I was able to stock a bit for the last twenty minutes too.... OK now I will not think about work until tomorrow morning at 3:30am when I have to get up and do it again...

Both boys are up now and getting comfy in front of the TV with the parade... Hubby is banging pot and pans in the kitchen cleaning up and heating up the giblets from the turkey for Raisin, such a spoiled kitty... We have left over pancakes and muffins for breakfast... I want to get all the Christmas cards addressed today... And the tree is still waiting for hubby to put lights on it.... Son3 is calling son1 to tell him Happy Thanksgiving... They woke him up, lol... Son1 said they would come over after 3pm when girlfriend got off work...


OK I'm off to watch the parade and get some hot chocolate and breakfast... Everyone have a Blessed Day!!!



Happy Journaling...

Waiting

I don't like all this waiting ... I just want to be done with work already... I have done some laundry, the dishes, ate breakfast, cleaned the boys bathroom, now I'm getting ready to clean my bathroom... Son2 has set up the Christmas tree, so now hubby can fluff out the branches and put the lights on... Son2 is watching Fred Claus... Son3 is playing his games... And I am just waiting for it to be time to go to work... Twelve hours from now I will be back home, lol... And it will officially be Thanksgiving... Hubby will make the pumpkin pies tonight... Then tomorrow put the turkey in the oven and any other things that need cooking will go in the toaster oven... Haven't heard from son1 yet, so may just be us for Thanksgiving... No traveling again... No fun with no time off when you work retail... I have a sinus headache from this cold still... It rained all last night and still wet out there today... At some time the power went out, good thing I didn't have to get up for work this morning as my clock was flashing away... Ok almost time to finally start getting ready for work...

See everyone tomorrow for Turkey...

Happy Journaling...

TurkeyMan

Oh my goodness, this is so funny... Ok maybe just to me cause I work in shoes, lol....

Click>>>>TurkeyMan... and play video...

Happy Journaling...

Dinnertime

I am trying to make dinner and not doing a very good job... I was trying to think of something quick and easy that I felt like eating and maybe the boys would eat too... I saw hubby had picked up some kielbasa and I found a box of macaroni and cheese but I have been wanting to try baking the macaroni and cheese, so I checked on line for baking temps and it is now in the oven... However when opening the box of noodles I dropped it on the floor and spilled half the noodles out, argh! So I threw some frozen chicken pieces on the stove with some garlic and herb and teriyaki sauce... and I am making white rice with teriyaki sauce just in case the macaroni and cheese and kielbasa is a flop... Hubby just called, he's on his way home, sheesh I'm spoiled, I don't like it when I have to work a full day, I've lost my down time between work and dinner...

Work was good today though, I got lots done and had lots of help and floor coverage, new person started today... All the tables are set for the big specials for Friday, I got all the boxes cleared in the hallway, if the guys bring up what's left and fill the hall, then once I open those, we will officially be caught up... Actually we are way ahead, so much more than last Christmas when we were still trying to finish remodel... I just hope we have what everyone is looking for... lol... Tomorrow I have to close til midnight... we will be putting up all the signs and finishing up the last details... Then I will be back bright and early Friday morning at 5am for all the crazy people, you know who you are, that will be waiting outside in the cold and dark for the doors to open, lol... After that December is a breeze....

Besides work today and fixing dinner I have nothing else to report except hubby got his results in the mail that everything is normal and nothing to worry about from his colonopscopy...

Tonight Fringe is on...

Happy Journaling...

Holiday Time...

We are having a nice day off today... We slept in til 9am, that was so nice... We had breakfast of fried eggs and muffins; pumpkin, banana or chocolate chip... Son3 has been enjoying every minute that he can on his computer games... Son2 is bored and doesn't know what to do with himself, but bug son3... I have been happily cleaning... The front room is dusted and vacuumed and son2 started bringing in a bit of Christmas from the garage... The above picture is of the table as you come in the front door... I have swept the kitchen, wiped down all the counters, cleaned up school papers, started the dishwasher, and now just have to wash the pans... Dinner will be easy of leftover chicken from last night...

I have cleaned off the dining room table and vacuumed... Hubby brought in all the donations to Goodwill yesterday so that is no longer sitting in the dining room.... The picture is of our center piece... I have had candles burning all day.... We weren't able to have a fire last night as it is non burn days right now due to the fog and overcast, making for bad air days... We are supposed to have rain tomorrow and Wednesday... I vacuumed and dusted the family room and moved all the spring knick knacks to the back and pulled all the snowmen forward... Last night after dinner hubby decided to hook up the new digital box to the family TV.... Hook up he figured out easily... All of us fighting over the remote to figure out how to get it to work and program everything, yea, that wasn't fun, lol... By then it was almost 8pm and we were all grumpy and tired... So finally got it all programed, so began checking out the new channels... I went around a few times, then son2 went around a few times and then hubby went around a few times, like they were going to find something that I hadn't already clicked on, lol... Not to mention there was nothing on and we had shows to watch that we had taped... but they were too mesmerized by the new digital... So by 9pm, I woke up, put son3 in his room with a movie and went to bed... Of course then hubby and son2 followed me, lol, and son2 went to his room and hubby and I watched Numbers...

Cornucopia that son2 and son3 put together this morning...

Hubby is outside putting the Christmas lights up on the outside of the house...

Son2 was outside supervising hubby but now he is back bugging son3 on the computer....

Now it's time to get back to my chores... Wash the pans, move the laundry around, the checkbook needs attention again and start on the Christmas cards... I want everything almost done by next week, so in December I just have to wrap and enjoy the season...

Happy Journaling...

Quilt Origins...

I love quilts too... Someday I may have the time and patience to make one... I enjoy reading fictional books based on quilts also... And I was gonna put in where the quilts came from in the last entry but I figured, nah, you guys would just enjoy seeing them, but no, lol, everyone wants to know... None of my quilts have any stories really... The first four we bought at department stores here or there, probably Sears or Walmart or a Bed and Bath store, I can't remember now.. Number 4 we picked up at Sears last year for Christmas... This year we found one on clearance at Walmart for $15 and we put it away for this Christmas... Number 5 son3 received as a baby shower gift and was purchased at a craft bizarre... It came with a matching pillow and elephant... Number 6 was made by hubby's Grandma... I asked him if he knew any history behind it but he said no, just that she had made it... And number 7 was a Christmas present from a relative that their neighbor had made...


Now I am home from work and I have tomorrow off!!! And hubby has tomorrow off!!! and the boys don't have to go to school!!! I came home and hubby went off to the store, he said, to pick up a special treat for dinner... Hubby and the boys did lots of yard work today... I'm thinking he is getting deli chicken... He's picking up some chips too so I should make some dip.... We have more Alien Nations to watch tonight and maybe I'll put a fire in the fireplace... Will have to check if it is a burn day... Our temps are finally dipping to the 60's and Friday we may only see 59 and rain... Work was good today... I got the ad set in record time... I have most of the after Thanksgiving specials set up... And the supervisor and I knocked out a lot of boxes today... Actually she is still there opening away... My cold is slowly getting better... I'm just glad no more headaches... Now just a stuffy nose and a husky voice, lol... OK I'm off to make that dip for when the chips get here....
Happy Journaling...

A-Z Photo Challenge

A-Z Photo Challenge Q

To Play Visit Martha at Menagerie...

Quilts

Happy Journaling...

Saturday at Work

I made it through working my first Saturday in forever... Although I didn't think I would make it the whole day as I was so sick this morning... I felt like my eyeballs were going to pop out of my head and that my forehead was huge sticking two feet out in front of me... and I was so tired, felt like I was walking through quicksand... I got to work at 7am, we were open with our door buster savings... It was way foggy outside but a handful of people made it in to shop... They finished shopping and our regular crowd came in at 9am, lol... I set up our wee ad this morning... And then proceeded to lug two big tables up the stairs... Someone was supposed to help me by doing it yesterday but that didn't happen... They were only way heavy cause I didn't feel good... So I moved the men's table to the women's side and filled it up with women's fashion boots... and then set up the two new tables in men's and filled them with work boots... I then proceeded to stock all the work boots I opened yesterday... I cleaned up the stockroom a bit and stocked some athletic shoes... Meanwhile our 9am person called out on today being one of those days where it is all hands on deck and everyone is to work... grrrr..... Another person came in at 10am and by 10:30am I could barely take it anymore and went to lunch early... I called hubby, drank a soda, took some ibuprofen, choked down my chimichanga and watched college football... By 11:40am I was feeling a bit better and headed back to work... By time I got to the floor, I felt great!! I couldn't believe it... What a difference... So in between all the too much chatting and making plans for setting up the ad for Friday I made a small dent in opening some more boxes... I still feel the headache lingering in the back and my nose is a bit stuffy and I'm coughing a bit, but I think I am finally on the mend... Now son3 says he doesn't feel well...

Son2 is bugging me... I told him he will make my headache come back and he will have to do all my chores, lol... He's gone off to watch Madagascar with son3... They're eating chocolate chip muffins for dinner... I'm such a bad mom, lol... I just finished eating my lunch from work that I couldn't eat this morning... Ok now, hubby's not due home for a couple of hours... should I read some blogs, watch Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 with son2 or fix something else to eat.... maybe time for all three...

Happy Journaling...