One of my favorite traditions

Tomorrow is my big Christmas shopping day! I can't wait! Every year, my mom, sisters & I take a whole day and go shopping. We've been doing this, maybe 5 years now. We start early in the morning by going out to breakfast and then it's all day shopping. We stop for a nice lunch and then, you guessed it, more shopping! We have a blast! We are pretty much assured of three things:

1. by day's end, the car is always stuffed full & we can't fit ourselves in it
2. it always ends up snowing
3. we usually end up laughing until we cry over the silliest stuff

This is one of my favorite traditions and I look forward to it every year. Now grant you, I'm lucky because I get to see my mom & sisters several times a week. However, this is pure fun--no men, no kids, just us! Oh how I love the holidays!

Thankful

With Thanksgiving upon us, I decided to compile a list of things that I am most thankful for this year. I'm also going to go for more than the obvious here.

1. I'm thankful for my dh, my children, my family.
2. I'm thankful that my mom comes over every morning at 7 am to get my kids ready for school so that I can go to work at 7:45 am.
3. I'm thankful for clean, running water.
4. I'm thankful for my new job that I love.
5. I'm thankful that dh is off from work the day after Thanksgiving. I put the tree up every year on Black Friday. He will handle all of the awful/annoying jobs associated with decorating (heehee) and do so graciously.
6. I'm thankful for fresh dough and mozzarella so that I can make a kickin' homemade pizza tonight.
7. I'm thankful that although I'm overweight & horribly out of shape,I'm still alive.
8. I'm thankful that dh's aunt makes the best sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. (loaded with butter & brown sugar, they practically float in all that goodness)
9. I'm thankful that I've found the itch to scrap again.
10. I'm thankful that I can watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tomorrow and get tears in my eyes when the Rockettes dance. (I've wanted to be one since I was a kid!)
11. I'm thankful that the very sweet Rebecca Sower emailed me to thank me for wishing her a Happy Thanksgiving and then wished me one as well.
12. I'm thankful that I have so many wonderful internet friends that I treasure, even though I haven't met them in person.
13. I'm thankful that my first paycheck arrived in the mail today! Yahoo!
14. I'm thankful for good music, good food and lots of laughter.
15. I'm thankful that my kids have left me alone long enough to compile this list! LOL

Happy Thanksgiving friends!

So creative!

I was perusing the Two Peas gallery and found something I just have to share. Is this not cool? I love it! Such creativity that Rhonna has. I might actually try to make one of these one day soon.

Retail therapy

I have come to the conclusion that I need some serious retail therapy. I need to shop 'til I drop! I feel as though I haven't had an all-out, no-holds-barred shopping trip in ages. I'll be getting my first paycheck next week and I think it's time....time to spread the money around and feel the joy that only shopping can bring me. You know, this whole "joy of shopping" thing really is true for me. The last time I had a big shopping extravaganza, if you will, I could literally feel the blood flowing and my heart beating rapidly. As a matter of fact, when dh came home from work that day and I babbled on & on about my wonderful purchases, he looked at me strangely (as he often does) and said, "It really is a high for you, isn't it? It's your version of crack!" I had to laugh, dh always cracks me up, but the sad thing was, it was so freakin' true! That's when I realized the blood was flowing & the heart was beating quicker than usual.
This all be said, I am now warning all retailers: WATCH OUT! I'M GOING TO BE SET LOOSE VERY SOON! :)
Have a wonderful weekend friends!

Slacking, friends and a crush

I sure have been slacking off when it comes to my blog. Is it that I don't have the time or that I don't have anything interesting to say? Hmmm.
My friends from my former job took me out to dinner last week. We had such a super time just laughing & talking! They gave me a card which I'll treasure and a nice big gift card...Macy's here I come! I love my new job but I have to say that I do miss these girls so much! (that's my mom on the left, in the blue sweater)

Want a good laugh? One of my morning students has a crush on me! I'm practically old enough to be his mother! OMG, it is so funny...and sweet...and just plain funny!
Have a great week friends!

A whole week

Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's been a whole week since I last posted. I started my new job last week and I really do like it! It's alot slower paced than I'm used to (I'm accustomed to doing 5 things at once) but I'm sure I'll be in the slower groove soon enough. So, thank you for all of your good wishes! I appreciate it!
Not much to say today, but since I missed a Halloween post, here is the fisherman, er fisherwoman, and the construction worker. Have a good weekend (or what's left of it anyway!)

Unbelievable

It's a terrible, damp, rainy Saturday in CNY. All my scrapping friends are doing just that, scrapping. There's a virtual crop over at Susan's Scrapbook Shack. The We B girls are at an all day scrapping retreat. And here I sit. Doing nothing.

I have news! I'm starting a new job on Monday! I guess my days as a SAHM are officially over. I mean I've been working more since ds went to kindergarten, but I had Mondays until 4pm and all day Tuesdays to myself. Now, I'll be working Monday thru Friday. Some of my older blog readers (not older as in age, older as in reading my blog longer) may remember my dilemma a few years ago about being certified as a teacher's assistant and whether I should take a job with the school district or stay at my current job where the flexibility was key. Thursday one of the department heads from high school called me and offered me a job. He knows my brother really well. Anyway, I accepted. The only thing that caught me completely off guard was when he said he needs me so badly, he will get me started on Monday. I was practically speechless! When I hung up the phone, that's all I could say was, Oh shit! How am I going to go into work tomorrow and tell them this is my last day?

Well, I survived my last day at work on Friday. I gotta tell ya, it wasn't easy. I had to tell the story to my coworkers with tears in their eyes. I could hardly look at them because I was fighting back tears of my own. I guess it's kinda hard when you work with a small group where everyone gets along. They are like a little family, a second family, that I am leaving behind. My boss was very gracious I have to say. He told me if I didn't like it at the school, I was always welcome to come back. Gotta love that safety net.

So Monday, I am off to the high school (a "tough" high school) to be a teacher's assistant to special education students. I am happy, excited, worried, scared...you name it! I don't know what I'm in for, I've never done anything like this before! I haven't completely stressed out yet(which is my usual nature). I'm figuring the unbearable panic will set in sometime Sunday evening!

Maybe I'll go over & join the girls at the shack for some scrapping time. It'll help me relax, gotta keep that panic at bay! lol