Friends, New and Old

Last night we went out to the Great Mall of the Great Plains. We haven’t been to a mall in ages and suddenly we have gone to two in less than a month. CRAZY. Well, the exciting part about this was that one of Eric’s classmates was in town from Chicago with her two little ones. (I wish she lived closer!)  So she put together a get together at the food court…where there is a nice big play area. George had a blast and it was nice to see her and her kids.

I did notice, though, that the Great Mall is d.e.a.d. Seriously. I told Eric maybe I should get a job there. The number of people who were reading books was amazing. I’d love that job. I also thought it was unique that the one kiosk store had a sign up saying that if you needed assistance, to go to the person at the Cookie Place in the food court and they would help you. I wonder if there are busier on weekends. I kind of hope so. I know that there are a few stores out there that are nice…I just forget that the Great Mall exists.

In other news…George went through both sets of clothes at school today. Not sure of the whole story, but he keeps saying that a classmate pushed him in the potty water when he was going potty and that we don’t push our friends and we go potty by ourselves…and then he laughs. The second set of clothes he had an accident. They rearranged the room during nap and so the kiddos slept in the next room over while they did the rearranging. I guess he slept well and woke up a bit confused and disoriented and tried to make it to the potty and didn’t quite. Not terrible, really, but bad that it all happened in one day!

So, for Wednesday, I’m thankful for getting together with old friends in a forgotten about place…and for a washer and drier so we can keep us clothed when we go through 3 sets of clothes a day!

Today at work, they had our annual Thanksgiving meal. The cafeteria goes all out and they do the turkey and ham and stuffing…the whole she-bang! Normally, the management team for our group goes ahead and purchases for us as a thank you. This year, the site leadership team authorized free Thanksgiving lunch for the site. Very nice. It’s little things that make me like my company…and for those little things, I am thankful.

Friday was a loooong day. I was frustrated with work stuff. I managed to get a shipment of 15 boxes around and called down to the dock for pick up…and couldn’t get a hold of anyone. It was later in the day…but not THAT late. I know one person was off and I know that there has been a lot of sickness going around and I also figured that it’s a Friday and maybe it had been slow so they were able to cut out early. I went down and picked up one of the large flatbed carts…and run into not one but two of the people who are supposed to help me move these 15 boxes (each over 30 pounds apiece) I was not a happy camper…but since one was on the phone (but logged off his computer) and the other was talking with someone I didn’t know, I grabbed the cart, brought it up, loaded it, and brought it back down. I broke a nail, too. NOT HAPPY. But still thankful that we *typically* have help with these types of things. If I had to do my own every time, I think I might go mad!

Friday night we watched TV and got caught up on a lot of shows we have been lax in watching. I try to keep up as best I can with DWTS…because that’s a LOT of TV to get caught up on if you’re behind. We also watch Hawaii 5-0 and Undercovers (sad it’s being cancelled…I think it got off to a slow start. I LOVE the characters).

Saturday was grocery shopping and the Ball Store. And a huge amount of “Race Cars”. George likes “Lighten MaClean”. I had a headache the size of the state of Kansas…Naproxen and Tylenol didn’t touch it. Hot shower did nothing. My stomach started to get a little upset later in the day. Not enough to stop us from doing anything, but a pain. Eric was grumpy, too…so I don’t think he felt well, either. Saturday night we watched more TV including Sherlock…the updated TV show that is on PBS Masterpiece Mystery. I am in love.

Sunday was brunch and family. Baby Fenn participated in his first Donner Brunch. He is adorable. I held the little guy while mom and dad ate. It’s probably been a bit since they were able to eat together at the same time with both of them using both hands! ;) He makes more noises than I remember George making at that age. He’s a cutie. We also looked through a lot of baby pictures…and George is the spitting image of Eric. And there are some pictures where Charlie looks just like Eric, too…but I suppose that is normal because there are a lot of pictures of Eric and Chris when they were little where you can’t which brother you’re looking at!

Later on Sunday I had a conversation with a friend (via Facebook) and had a chance to think creatively for a change. She told me I was good at the brainstorming and creative idea thing. I needed the boost to my ego! I could totally lose myself in a creative world. I know I would love a job as a Creativity Coach…not sure there is such a thing…but if I could invent the job I would. I’d dearly love to work with people who need new brainstorming partners and to work with them to see creative endeavors through to the end.

So Saturday and Sunday Thankfuls are for 1.) Good TV…whether that is DVD or programmed television. And 2.) Friends who help you dream!

Keeping up!

It was a happy Monday morning in the Donner house…despite the loss of the Chiefs to the Raiders in OT Sunday night. (BOO! HISS!) George slept in until around 7, which, considering the time change is phenomenal! I was able to be up and into the shower before he woke up…so Eric dressed the little guy. (In a pair of his “new” pants from Grandma Cheryl.) All the pants she had were actually 4T’s but there were a pair or two that ended up fitting around the waist and were okay length-wise…a little long, but not bad at all!

My Monday Thanks is for the location of work. I am very thankful that we are able to live close to our place of employment. I know so many people with huge, ugly commutes and I am very, very grateful that we don’t have to deal with that. I am also thankful that daycare is on the way to work so that we don’t have to drive out of our way to drop George off and pick him up. And another thing I am thankful for is that Joann’s is right next door…so I can pick up fusible web and other supplies for Christmas presents after work and not have to do a bunch of massive planning to get it and get George. :)

We had spaghetti for dinner Monday night…something nice and easy that everybody likes and doesn’t make the kitchen into a HUGE disaster area. Always a plus! And I had a chance to finally get started on my stocking stuffers for the swap. Soooo excited. I just hope everyone likes them. It was nice to cut squares while watching DWTS…I could cut during the filler stuff and judges comments (except for Bruno…you HAVE to actually watch Bruno) and scoring and take a “break to watch the dances.

Tuesday was a bit of a rocky start…George woke right before the alarm clock. (You know, the alarm clock we set not for the time we really want to wake up, but the alarm clock we set so that we can hit snooze twenty times before we HAVE to get up.) He wanted “daddy’s bed”…so I brought him in to snuggle and he went back to sleep! Had to wake him up once we were ready to go…and he picked out his clothes, this time 4T pants and shirt that are too big! It was a pick your battles kind of morning. He doesn’t look THAT bad.

I accomplished a lot at work today! Yahooooo! Feeling better about what I am doing, this is a good thing. Today I’m going to get my fabric together and cut more squares! Hoping I can do these while watching the elimination? I’d like to use my cutting mat, but the table I have near the TV isn’t quite big enough. I may use George’s coloring table…yeah, that’s the ticket!

Tuesday, I am thankful for free coffee at work. There should be no need to explain!

Yay for a new (to me) freezer!

I'm so happy with my new freezer.  I don't have much to put into it yet...but am anxiously looking forward to turkey and ham and loading 'er up!

George only took a brief nap today and that is not a happy thing.  I, of course, had a list of things I wanted to do while he was napping.  I wanted to go to Joann's and purchase some fusible web and get a good start on my Christmas stuff.  Barring that, I wanted to catch the Chief's game...since we're playing the Raiders...but now we are watching Cars.  Again.  And I don't think he has ever made it more than half-way through the movie.  maybe someday we'll see the end.

I think I'm happy to go with being thankful for the rental truck and new (to me) appliances...but I'm also thankful for asprin...because I've got a whopper of a headache going too!

Friday and Saturday Thanks

Should be easy...Friday I was thankful it was Friday!  :D  I promise not to use that one again, but seriously...

It felt great to be looking into a weekend with nothing major planned except for gettin' mah hur did. ;)  So I went to bed early and was joined by a little boy who was suddenly "scared of his bed".  I'm not sure what that was all about, but we snuggled and he slept in our bed...sideways...with his hand in my hair about 75% of the night.  Not the best nights sleep ever, but not the worst, either.

Saturday (today) I'm thankful for my MIL.  Seriously.  Cheryl is wonderful...she's welcomed me with open arms, frequently says she can't remember the family without me and ALWAYS is on the look out for things she knows I want/need (or thinks I should want/need!)  So, in addition to having purchased and holding clothes for George that we will pick up tomorrow...jeans in 3T because his 2T are getting too short...she also called with a garage sale find of a 15 cubic foot chest freezer that she saw for $40!  We bought it and now we just have to get it here by 6pm tomorrow.

Tomorrow I think I'll be thankful for rental trucks! ;)

And today...

Today I am thankful for bedtime.  I would be more thankful if he wasn't using every delaying tactic in the book, but that doesn't mean that I am not thankful that there is bedtime!

In other news...I signed up to do a stocking stuffer swap with a bunch of internet friends who I have never met.  I am so hoping that they all like and enjoy what I make.  Oh and I have to have these made and in the mail by December 8th.  Did I mention that my sewing and craft room is a mess?  Did I mention that I need a sewing table?  Did I mention that I also have another 4 large projects for the nephews and George that I need to get done by Christmas?  Oh and Mom is coming to visit.  Oh and George's birthday falls in the midst of this, too.

Okay...It's been a while

I know, I know.  It's been forever and a freakin' day.  I'd apologize, but I'm really not all that sorry.  I've started a new job at the same company and I like it.  HOWEVER, it is taking me much longer to pick it up than I thought it would...to the frustration of all those involved.  I'm now dreaming of some sort of quasi-retirement in 2 years and 9 months when George goes to Kindergarten and the cost goes from $211 a week for daycare to $250 a month for all say Kindergarten.

Quasi-retirement?  Yeah, I'm a dreamer.  I wouldn't mind a part-time FUN job.  Not sure exactly what that would be, but I'm on the burn-out trail and can't seem to shake it.  I know it's about 95% mental...and right now I don't have the mental strength to fight it.

Halloween was a huge hit at our house this year.  George decided that he wanted to be a helicopter.  I tried to talk him out of it.  It didn't work.  I had a friend come through with a picture of another helicopter costume and I improved upon it a bit and TA-DA...

I have one very happy Trick or Treater!

This is one of my favorite times of the year.  I love the fall...but I don't really care for the leaves all that much.  I like the smells and the "harvest".  I'm making pumpkin puree right now for my pumpkin bread.  Yes, I know that "they" say you shouldn't use regular pumpkins...but you know what?  I've done it for years...for bread not for pies.  The pumpkin bread hides the texture better and I just add more brown sugar to make up  for some of the loss in sweetness that you don't get with a regular pumpkin.

So...Thanksgiving.  I'm going to attempt to list my "thankfuls for" here each day this month.  I know I'm behind, but I think I can come up with 3 to get me on the right track!  ;)

1.)  I'm thankful for a little boy with a creative and determined mind.  Really...a helicopter! :)
2.)  I'm thankful for a relatively peaceful passing of the guard each and every election, even if the outcome scares me.  Really...Sam Brownback AND Kris Kobach.  Sheeesh.
3.)  I'm thankful for a job even if I am struggling with it right now.

What are you thankful for?