I should know this

14 and a half years into this relationship with Dave, I should know when it's coming but nope. Not a clue. The guy has the dryest sense of humor on earth.

Playing Wii baseball waiting on the countdown to hit our time zone and the kids have him playing baseball with us.

I got to first base and the kids were ribbing me about not making it past first base.......

Anyone want to guess where perv went with this one?

At least he's whispering these things now, cause the kids are getting on up in age....lol

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New Year's At My House

There is something to be said about having the family that I have. There are no babysitters, no drunken parties, no cab rides home. Nope, that's not how we ring in the New Year.

H4G's special ribs (the secret is in the glaze/rub combo), purple hull peas bubbling on the stove with some bacon and onions, the fixings for potato salad in the making and a pecan pie (GF of course) on standby.

We eat until I gain back the 2 lbs I lost this past week on vacay, and then we sit and rub out bellies playing Train until midnight when we'll play Wii and sip our apple juice till we all pass out in a holiday coma.

I love my family.

I love how we do things.

I love ribs.

Hence, I love New Years!

Be safe and may the new year be a blessing of bounty to us all!

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The Big T

We love Tulsa. It's where we met, fell in love and eventually married before the Navy took us away. We've been back for visits, in fact we were there all of Monday this past week catching up with everyone we still know there. It was wonderful to see everyone and sit/catch-up while the kids ran wild. We ended up driving around at 1 in the morning after the last visit. We drove by his old house, my old house, our meeting place: the Shell station that used to be a Texico. We drove by the bridge I'd walk everyday, a few places we both worked and mainly we realized that while it holds a certain appeal, you just can't go back home.

But man did it feel weird to be doing the drive with our two sleeping kids in the backseat.

That said, after visiting everyone we had quite the epiphany. We realized that there is such a thing as too far out in the country. One friend has quite the set up, far far far far far from anything. Like an hour from a gas station. The land is beautiful, their new house and barn are great but not for us. Too far out. Than there is the friend in the middle of the city in a great nice neighborhood that has the same feel as our one in SLC did. Beautiful house but slap ass middle of the city living is not for us.

Kinda humbling to realize that we like exactly where we are. Living on the outskirts of a large city in a country town that is close enough for everything but far enough away to give us the lifestyle we want. That was a nice surprise!

So as I sit here watching it poor down rain, I'm relieved and happy to be exactly where I am.

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I'm Home....and going into hiding

We made it home. Finally, and I'm beat. But oh boy the stories I'll have to share with my peeps in the coming week.

Except now, I am waiting on Dave to finish pecos fries and then it's off to the tub. Then a coma.

This is my fav pic from this trip. Dave and I were trying to figure out what we were gonna do next and I love the whole heads together shot Princess took of us from the backseat.

This really says alot about me and my guy. Love that man, even if I want to run him over with my car somedays, snicker. He b my sugarbutt. Ps: don't tell him I said that cause he'll kill me for the pet names again.

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Hello Lake

I've missed you.

We made it to the lake for the holidays. The drive was great, we arrived at 3 am Christmas morning and other than not being able to find an open bathroom for 200 miles at a stretch due to everyone being closed, it was uneventful and good family time.

Now Dave has a big ole smile on his face and everyone is relaxed and happy.

Merry Christmas to all!

We are enjoying our time together. Hugs to you all.

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Crap!

The kid is now cooler than me..... she got a kindle from my mom (hey, I got her a netbook....I get points) and she's downloading books left and right for free. I have the ancient old sony e-reader and there aren't any (excuse me, AINT any) free books around.

Sniff.

I want a nook.

Dear Santa,
Before next year, I better have a nice new nook under my tree to feed my reading slut novel addiction.

Love
H4G

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Deep Breath

So I've been super busy. Today is my last day as your friendly local Walmart cashier, it's not for me. For so many reasons, but mainly because I'm not equipped to deal with stupid people. I've had my ass grabbed, my hand cut open and told that my hair looks like shit and I should do my roots. Four days people. Not for me.

I celebrated my 13 year wedding anniversary after the kids both had their birthdays. They are now officially 12 and 8. Go babies go.

Last night I got home to a message from a recruiter about the job I interviewed twice for and I got it. Woohoo, I start Jan 10th. I have a lot of paperwork and stuff to get done for now though so I'll be busy. Very excited to be going back to the corporate world, bring it on. I'm ready! And I'm walking into a lot of work that needs organized and new processes so I can't wait!

But since all these changes have been reined down like blessings upon me, I'm also able to spend Christmas with my kids now. Instead of staying home and working while they go with Dave to the lake for a family Christmas, I get to go too. I can't wait.

Just have to go get a few last minute Santa gifts covered today and pick up a turkey.

God is so good to the stupid and the ignorant. God is so good to me. What a blessing!

And I have to get my hair fixed cause the girl butchered it when she was suppose to trim it and dang my roots really are bad. Grey hair everywhere.

So Merry Christmas to all and to all a good season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Latest Greatest

So I got my associates confered to me this week, woohoo. May can't come fast enough for my next degree. Happy days!

Tomorrow I start my new part time job....I'll be your friendly Walmart cashier. Really kinda looking forward to it, hoping to get late late hours and I might actually meet some people here in this place. I also got my sub teaching quals passed by the school board so after I fingerprint next week I'll be ready to sub starting in Jan! Woohoo.

Although, all that may be have a different outcome. I have a 2nd interview on Monday for a job I really want. I'm one in 3 out of the initial 500 applicants. Please say a prayer for my current job situation, at this point I'm open to whatever the Lord has in store for me cause he knows so much better than me. :) I'm in good hands.

And I have so much other stuff to post soon but I'm exhausted and starving, so off to get my dinner on.

Hugs.

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Happy 12th Bday Kid

Princess celebrated her 12th birthday this past weekend. Since she was technically birthed on Christmas Day.....imagine trying to have a kid during late late Christmas Eve night when all the nurses and doctors were eating turkey and pie then drinking spiked eggnog at a military hospital. I regress, sorry. So we celebrate early around here. We had a crap ton of little girls over for a sleepover which included: flashlight treasure hunts in the dark, karoake till my ears bled, and then spa time. It was ridiculous dudes. Seriously Dave and I had to rest up all the next day to recoup. Like trying to herd wet chickens.



So I did okay, the karoake machine is a hit.

Next year: soundproofing for her bedroom.

Happy Birthday Kid, mommy loves you. Even if you are a pain in the butt sometimes.

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I B Busy....

I know it drives you nuts not knowing what's going on with me......but I b busy, no worries, lol. I have spent a ton of time in the last two weeks....applying for local jobs, getting local jobs then getting a call that the job is kaput because of a hiring freeze. So I took a class to sub in our local school district, since I'm at the schools all the freaking time. I almost have all my qualifications up to date, transcript should be here tomorrow and then I'll be ready to do my FBI fingerprinting so hopefully will be able to start subbing, cause I like the high school mostly, lol.

But this week I've been working like a dog in the 2nd grade doing door decorating for the Christmas contest, Doing bulletin boards and helping her with holiday projects for the upcoming party, which I had to pass on overseeing cause I'm also roommom for Princess' 6th grade class and they got me first. So I'm knee deep in planning all the way around.

 Sneaky teacher snapped me and my helpers working hard. Confession: these two were driving everyone nuts and I got tired of correcting them, so I put them to work. Strangely they got quiet and starting helping out! I rock.

So cause I'm a maverick, I didn't do a Christmas door per say.......hee hee. I did a winter door so we could leave that bad boy up till Feb. Whew! The other room mom's are beside themselves, cause I'm bringing the threat baby.

Seriously though, I do have a job interview tomorrow, please say a prayer for me.......this one would be helpful!

Back soon, I have to finish my italian sausage spaghetti dinner.

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Oh Lord

I have 9 11-12 year old little girls. It's Princess' birthday party and they are sleeping over. So far so good. I still have to dig out some clues and set up the glow in the dark treasure hunt, so we'll see how that goes but so far we b surviving. Dave is even knee deep in the middle....true sigh on a man, he hasn't run for the hills.

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Busy Day, Fork My Ass

I'm sitting down for the first time today and my makeup is making my face itch. Yeah, you read that right, I'm in warpaint. I did observation today and got to teach Algebra II this morning. That was stinking cool! Dude, seriously I didn't realize how much math I've absorbed over my careers and schooling. Crazy! So when I got itchy just watching, I grabbed some paper and started working out the problems they kids were working on too, and then the teacher just handed the class over and I started their lessons on factoring polynominals. I had a great time, the kids were super respectful and well behaved....the teacher took my name and was like dude, you're so my sub. lol. Then I ran some errands and now I'm home to finish laundry and start a big ole dinner. Last week of school till Jan, thank goodness!!!!!

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Wow.....no really wow

so while pulling down Christmas stuff from the attic, Princess was up there digging in some old boxes that I seriously move house to house but never even open..........I don't know why.

But she found something balled up and dirty.

My wedding dress.

Seeing how my anniversary is in two weeks, for giggles I hid in the bathroom and tried it on. Just to have princess come in and scream....

the farker fits, wait that's not completely true. It's baggy around the hips and waist and will only zip up the back to the bust.....

Turns out after having two kids you really do change shapes.

That was fun until I realized that apparently my damn back has grown.........seriously? nasty!

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Oh Boy

I'm job hunting......sigh.......in the big city. Gave up on this poor little towns around here and am looking to commute into the big ole city. I'm not happy about it but you do what you gotta do. That being said, I'm in such a foul mood right now, I'm seeing everything in a reddish tint. Sigh......... being a grown up sucks.

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Scrooge Lives Here

So the kids and I bugged Dave enough that he braved the attic and drug down our tree and box of decorations........

box?

I had like four boxes of decorations.......

Before the big move last year apparently.

Luckily I had a little garland, a pre-lit tree, the tree shirt and our stockings. A few homemade ornaments and we're done in like 15 minutes.

Seriously it was insane, made even worse when Duchess stood back with her hands on her hips and announced........" Jeez, Scrooge Lives Here".

Great.

I've got too much else on my plate to worry about decorations though. So, yep Scrooge lives here baby. Ho Ho Ho

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I'm proud, but I cried a little

So in lieu of the lice infestation going through the schools.....we got a nice letter about it, apparently it truly is rampant in this damn town during winter..... we signed off on the girls getting a big ole haircut. This makes all our lives easier and since their hair grows as fast as mine it'll be back long by summer, we ok-ed.

But it stepped up a notch, cause Duchess came to me and told me that she wanted to donate her hair to cancer kids. Seems watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition is bringing some good changes in my kids. After watching a show featuring a lot of little kids with no hair in a cancer unit, she and I talked a month or so ago about how they can get wigs from people's donated hair. And she wanted to, my heart just swelled up and about burst.

So this morning, off we went.

 Princess now has a stylish, sleek thinned out bob that is just adorable.

 She lost 7 inches. Not enough to donate but she didn't want to go much shorter so next time for her. We left it up to the kids.

 Duchess now has a very short curly bob, after losing all that hair weight, we realized that she was as curly as her momma and mimi. She keeps touching the hair and can't get over how light it feels.

 Considering how MUCH hair she had before, I totally get that.

The baby lost 13.5 inches and we have it bagged up and ready to donate.

And now, they want to grow it back out and do it all again........

I really can't ask for more from my kids. They are so aware of the world around them and the needs of others. My heart just truly can't be any bigger than right at this moment.

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I got some sleep.....which = trouble

When I finally get some sleep, I wake up ready to take on the world. In this case, it's taking care of a tummy-flu bug having Princess, digging about 24 new recipes to try, helping a girlfriend sign up for online school, and cleaning my house. Sleep makes a H4G good.....

I finally managed to get my library books back and pay my $1.60 fine. Opps. (side note: I'm really an honest person, don't ask me if you don't want to know....and during an interview not to long ago for yet another job I got told I was overqualified for they asked if I'd ever been in trouble.....and I answered yes, I have had quite a few library fines cause I tend to forget. The guy blinked and then clarifies, I meant legal trouble. And I told him, isn't that legal trouble, you can get in big time trouble over those books..... he didn't blink just sat there staring. After talking with a few others, turns out nobody considers that "trouble" so I can't tell you how much that makes me feel better, whew!)

On another note, please lift up my little nephew. He's 16 months old and due to quite a few tests, he is having a bone scan and biospy this coming Tuesday. Please take a minute to lift him up, cause that sweet precious baby boy is the light to quite a few people.

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I'm Running Away

So Princess came home with lice last night...............Kill me now. Found a few lice (GAG) and some nits (ewwwwww) then checked Duchess and here we go again. This damn school system is under a lice seige every winter apparently. Kill me now...... Dave is threatening to shave his and MY heads if we end up with this crap cause of the babies. He thinks I can rock the O'Connor look, or as I like to think, my daddy's cueball look. Seriously, all morning was spent doing treatments and now they are saute-ing with olive oil treatments under some big ole "I am in the robbing of convenience stores line of work" hats.

So I am busier than crap as usual. I managed to go from no waiting laundry to a mound almost as tall as the kids.

Except before the nightly head check last night I managed to outdo myself. I must be feeling better. Not only did I get dressed (dude, hair and makeup.....Dave just stared at me over dinner trying to figure out what was different, poor guy) but I went and did my paperwork to sub for the school district....desperate to get ouf of the house during the day. But then I created a new recipe.

I made a homemade pesto (with southern ingredients which really isn't pesto huh, but it was green!!!) Then stuffed some chicken breast with it, drapped them bastards in bacon and cooked at 500 degrees. Surprised the crap out of me, but the kids ate and loved every bite. Dave cleaned his plate and they were all looking to the stove for more.....ummmmm didn't make extra, opps. So then while we played us some chicken feet.....I threw together my own recipe for apple crisp. And seriously Dave, Princess, and I ate the entire pan.........a 9x13 pan of apple crisp.......we ate it ALL. I'm kinda ashamed, just kinda. That stuff was the bomb.

So tonight I have to outdo my latest creation. Going simple with a homemade spaghetti sauce made with italian sausage instead of beef and then I'm attempting gluten free apple turnovers. We'll see. Once these kids get on the bus in the morning, I'm going to collaspe....good grief. And I just misspelt that but am too lazy to backtrack. Love me anyway.

So I have two full weeks of school left. 2 birthdays to get my butt in gear on and volunteer stuff lined up at the school. I mean come on..........people I hope you realize it isn't easy staying home. When I worked, I had a nanny who helped out with the house and did the kids' running around until I got home and could switch out with her. Now that I'm running everyone's lives, I'm just as freaking busy. SO I learned my lesson, lol. There are no bonbons here.........although I did watch Oprah yesterday but Dave threatened to disconnect the satelite if I did it again, snicker.....

On that note, I have to go lice spray some mattresses and then start the kids' on homework.

Peace out.........with love

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Oprah is the Anti-Christ.....I knew it!

Apparently all it took for Dave to stand up and annouce it was "time for me to get a job" was watching an episode of Oprah and sending him a little congrats letter on beating the national average concerning the average amount of sex in a month............. ummmm what'd I say wrong? lol.

He really did announce that I could go back to work though, lol. He was like you are not some Oprah watching housewife, do it, pull the trigger. lol

Who knew that that's all it'd take.........?

Except 10 minutes later he was asking me to run him a million errands this next week, so I'm wondering how he'll take the whole job hunt, lol

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I'm Exhausted

I am truly beat. The last two days have been a trail. Dave and I enjoyed our vacation time so much but man it left little time for school so the last two days have been a rush to get our work done, done well and turned in. I made it by two minutes last night. Then was so stressed out, wound up I couldn't sleep. I really think that if insomnacs ever joined together and took seige to the world in the wee hours of the morning, we could rule this b*tch. But I finally passed out just to have the alarm go off 3 hours later to get kiddos off to the bus.

I gotta figure out how to reverse my sleep schedule. Urgh.

Anywho, I have a done of things to get done today. I have to plan two yes two birthday parties, I have to clean this house: I swear these kids went nuts. With our heads in the books, trying to keep food available, and juggling everything else, the short people in this house tore this sh*t up. Good lord. I have no clean dishes, pots, or plates and refuse to even glance at the laundry until it's time to wade in.

However, we have managed to sneak, steal or borrow some time to play with our newest toy. Yep, we sucked it up and bought us a chicken foot domino set. We are totally addicted. And I'm winning (we hang the scoreboard on the fridge and play one game at a time, keeping a running tally) which is a miracle cause Duchess is a shark at this game. Really humbling to get your a&& handed to you by a 7, almost 8 year old. Snicker.

Okay, here I go. Watch me be productive.............and try to resist a nap.

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