The Black Friday Saga

After battling a headache all day Thursday, I got out there for the "best day of the year" when it comes to shopping. We left about 10:30 on Thursday night and headed to the Allen outlet mall which was INSANE. Can I just say how lucky we were to find a parking spot at 11:15. We hit Tommy Hilfiger and the Nike store which took 2 hrs between the two of them. The lines were atrocious but thankfully with two people, one can get in line and you can take turns shopping as the line moves along. We headed to Old Navy to be there when they opened at 3 and when we got there at 1:30 there were already 50 people in line. I made an executive decision that that was too many so we headed to Grapevine Mills mall. We did some shopping there and then made our way to Walmart. BIG MISTAKE! I have never been to Walmart on Black Friday and probably never will again! It was amazing how many people managed to cram themselves into a megastore. And to top it off, they could not find what I wanted to buy. I ended up with a raincheck until they can locate the pallet.

After that nonsense, we headed to Sears and JC Penney and when we walked out the sun was up. Academy was next and was nice enough to match the price of what I wanted to get at Sports Authority as well so that saved us a trip. The lines at Kohls were crazy but we managed to time it just right and got out of there fairly quickly. We ran into Home Depot so Amy could get her washer and dryer (which she got a great deal on) and then I took her home. I ran by Costco to get a tv for a friend and stopped back in Walmart to see if they had found the elusive pallet yet (with no luck) before heading home. I crawled into bed around noon after cramming everything I bought into the storage unit. While I was sleeping the kids raided the van and much to their dismay the only thing in it was some outfits I had gotten for them. They sulked the rest of the evening thinking I had not gotten them anything until Brian spilled the beans (SHOCKINGLY!) that everything was hidden at the storage unit.

I did manage to cross quite a few people off my list and found some great deals but seemed to be two steps behind most of the people that were looking for the same things I was. After some minor adjustments I ended up with some good stuff. Now hopefully I can guard the key to the storage unit for the next month so that Brian doesn't get a wild hair and decide to take the kids for a little exploration field trip...

Getting Thankful

As Thanksgiving gets closer I feel the need to reflect on what I am thankful for. I don't think I take these things for granted but this day makes us really notice them. I am thankful for a home to live in which is big enough for all our STUFF (and a cleaning lady who cleans it for me), kids who are healthy that I get to spend more time with than most parents and food on the table. I am thankful for another year with my Dad and mother-in-law and have a real appreciation for how miraculous that really is. I am thankful for great friends who understand me, who listen and who I wouldn't trade in a million years. I am thankful for the ability to work and successful businesses that enable me to work from home. But most of all, today, I am thankful for a husband who has been faithful to me for the last 13 years, who listens and usually judges but in a loving way, who lets me cry on his shoulder, who is a great father to our two kids, who is brutally honest with me even when I don't want to hear it, who is flexible after much nagging, who supports me in whatever crazy idea I have at the moment and who loves me unconditionally and shows me with a passion that I wish I could bottle up and sell (million dollar idea, folks!).

Under the Weather

We had a great visit with Grampa. The kids schedule seemed to engulf the time that he was here and it flew by. I guess he got a taste of our "real life". I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week. It seems we have been going non-stop since Halloween (or maybe before). So it didn't help that Wednesday I started to feel yucky.

The boys had their soccer party and by the time we got home around 7:00 I crawled into bed. I ran a fever Wednesday night and last night and the strange thing is I feel ok duing the day but as the sun goes down so do I. I am very thankful for the DVR as I have been able to catch up on shows and watched a movie last night. I was feeling better yesterday than the day before so I worked on some purses too.

I have a new website that I am building that should be up soon. I will post on here so you can take a look. I think I am finally getting back into the swing of things and excited about some new ideas I have. More to come soon...

Home Again... Home Again...

It is so good to be home. We got back yesterday afternoon and it has been non-stop since then. Brian's dad is here and we are having a nice visit. I FINALLY got all my books put away with the help of my sweet husband and am working on getting the orders out the door. It was a good trip but exhausting.

Yesterday I told Brian all the funny things that happened like some old man freaking out in the book sale line because he thought McSweaty was cutting and the battery dying in the parking lot of Panera Bread because we were too stupid to realize that we were sucking all the juice by using all the cigarette lighters, having the doors open/lights on, radio playing... but he said they weren't that funny. That you had to be there! At the time, we laughed to the point of crying by some of the stuff that happened on this trip. It was nice not to hear the kids fighting, not to walk around picking up after everyone and worrying about the small stuff around here. It was girl time and we spent it well! It is so nice having a friend you can spend several days with and not get tired of :)

What's New...

I am about done with the updates for Fantasy Football... Maybe it is jinxing my luck. I played my Dad last week and he played without ANY quarterbacks. I have Drew Brees and Kurt Warner... two of the best. So I know what you're thinking... I clobbered him. Nope, yeah, you read that right, Nope. I LOST! So needless to say, I was bummed. I am 3-5 and need to be 8-5 to get into the playoffs. So maybe if I don't talk about it again, it will happen. It will be hard.

This week has been completely crazy. I have to say that I am loving the time change. I usually don't but being a night owl it feels like I am up just as late as before when I go to bed at midnight because it gets dark so early. I have been getting up easily and being very productive before noon. Funny... I never quite understood how people were like that. Anyways, with the nice weather we have been sports crazy! Brandon had a practice on Tuesday night that Brian said was really good and then he had a baseball game at 7:30 (that they won!) and Hunter had a soccer game at 8:00 (that they won and he scored another goal!). Yesterday Hunter had his last baseball game (that they won) and he got hit by a pitch. It hit his funny bone at his elbow and you can see the threads of the ball still today. He will have a nice baseball size bruise there tomorrow. He seems quite proud of it and barely flinched even though looking at it today you can tell it must have hurt. He was upset because once he got hit they wouldn't let him pitch. He got his trophy and I will post the pictures soon.

Today we are trying desperately to get caught up with everything else... laundry, errands, work... I have a few purses to make, am making Christmas lists, getting ready for Brian's dad to be here next Thursday (oh my, a week from today) and getting ready to go out of town. I leave Monday morning EARLY and head to Austin. From there I am headed to San Antonio and ending in Waco Wednesday night for a sale Thursday morning. Brian's dad gets here around noon and I should be back around 2:00. I can only imagine what the house will look like though.

So I am headed to the gym and errands... Hoping to keep the momentum of the day going.

Halloween Part 2

So yesterday the boys both had soccer games and luckily we all got to attend both. Brandon's team played at 9:00 and won 5 to 0 even being man-down. It was a good game! Hunter played at 1:30 and they won 7-0 and Hunter scored a goal (even with his Dad there!). Two great games and a great start to the day!

The boys decided to just trick-or-treat around the neighborhood and were VERY TIRED before we even left. We had all gotten up around 7:30. We left around 7, once it got dark, and we were home by 8:45. Brandon decided to be a gangster and Hunter was a vampire again.

Today they both have baseball games at 1:00 so we begin the juggle again...