We had a great Christmas!

This year my two older boys actually bought presents with their own money. I was very proud of them. They were so excited and could not wait for us to open gifts. They didn't want their gift as much as they wanted us to have the gifts they gave us. It was so wonderful to see them have the giving spirit. I loved it.

We were all to work Christmas Eve, but it turned out John did not have to go in at all and I only worked about an hour and a half. Then JM came home shortly after me. We thought about opening Christmas Eve but didn't. We got up Christmas morning and went to Ihop for breakfast. It was pretty good and it was busy! The place was actually full. I was surprised. I wasn't even sure it was open. After breakfast we came home and opened gifts. I let the boys give out their gifts first. We then gave the boys our gifts and to each other.

I was spoiled this year! I got an iphone, a digital picture frame, a game for the Wii, a daily planner/address book/notebook thing, a subscription to the newspaper with a comic umbrella, a dice game called Farkle, and a build-a-bear that plays a Christmas song. And it is all paid for! No credit cards!!! Yeah! lol That just really thrills me to no end!

We went to my sister-in-law's house that evening. All of John's family was there except his dad. We had a nice visit with them. His oldest son from his first marriage came. We were excited to see him. That is another story for another day.

I hope you were all blessed this Christmas! I know I was.

Christmas Eve

Usually at this point and time we are eating breakfast at Bob Evans and then coming home to open gifts with our kids. Well, not this year. This year everything seems different. It isn't really but it just seems this way.

JB and JM are working today, then part of tonight. I have to work tonight so we have to do our Christmas in the morning. We won't be able to go to Bob Evans since it is closed on Christmas Day. That is a real bummer! I know Waffle House is open on Christmas but YUCK! We did that a few years ago. We enjoyed the company but the food... well, sorry but no thanks! I am sure we will work something out.

I thought I was done shopping, but I have one more to buy and I want to get stocking stuffers. I would love to go right now (early a.m.) but I have to wait for the bank to open.

One thing I can say that is really thrilling is that we paid cash for all of our gifts this year. No credit cards were used! Yeah!!! Sorry visa and mastercard, not interest from me! lol

Merry Christmas, everyone!

A few pictures...

We had family pictures taken and also some senior pictures of JM (finally!!!) Here are a few of them. Not the best ones but a few.

Cavs Game

Just thought I would share a picture of JB. He went to a Cavs game on Friday night and they were handing out Ben Wallace wigs. Here he is with it on. I thought it was funny.

Vacation!

We are officially on Christmas vacation. The kids got a lot of work done last week and we are taking the next 3 weeks of school off. I wanted to get more math completed, but that is okay. If they are too bored I could have them do some. Actually it is just Joshua that needs to get a little farther. We will get where I want to be in time and be finished by May.

We got a little more shopping completed this weekend. Not as much as I would have liked though. I want to be all done. lol I am pretty sure we know what we are buying for everyone so that is helpful. We do have one that we aren't sure what to get. Hopefully we will get some ideas. I love shopping for other people. I wish I had more money to do so but I don't.

Yesterday afternoon we went to Mike's Place with JB's mom and her friend. We had a nice time and the food was good. They played the wii for a bit before we left. We had fun. His mom hasn't been to our house for a long time. They don't live too far but far enough that we don't see each other very often anymore.

We are having Christmas with my family on Saturday, Christmas with JB's family on Christmas night, and I am not sure what we will be doing with my kids yet as we have to work Christmas Eve which is when we usually celebrate.We will find a good day to do it.

I did move my living room around as I said in my one post. I did it the next day. I could not handle it looking like it did. I am so glad that I did. It is much more homey and my hubby was happy.

Christmas decorations

Here are a few of our decorations. Our tree, the stockings, then some decorations.

Bah humbug!

I say that more about the snow than Christmas. Saturday night hubby was making a delivery, the last one for the night before he was going home, and he got stuck in the snow. That was around midnight. Thankfully we have AAA and he was able to be towed but that tow didn't happen until around 3:30 am. So my husband did not get home until 4:00 in the morning. I felt so bad for him. Thankfully I drove myself to work so I didn't have to wait for him. I did try to stay up waiting but dozed off around 3:00 ish. I did hear him come in and once I knew he was home I actually went to sleep. I hate snow. I don't know why I live in Ohio because one thing you can count on is snow. There is always at least one bad snow storm but usually more. This wasn't even a bad snow storm. We haven't had that yet! UGH!

We decided to put up the tree this weekend. It is always such a chore at our house. We don't have a lot of room and we have to rearrange to find the spot. That gets my dh grabbing his tape measure out and every idea we come up with he measures it and NOPE! Won't work. GRRR! By the time we actuall find a spot I want to shove that tape measure down his throat! It looks like it will work. My living room is ugly as all get out right now. I hate it. I hate it!!!!!!! If I can do it by myself, I might rearrange it better. My hubby was a touch off on his measuring this time I think. The tree said it was 50 inches in girth, but I don't think it is that much. It really isn't. So I am going to do some of my own measuring and see if I can making it work better. I just cannot deal with it like this. I am not going to make my life miserable over a dumb Christmas tree. We used to put up all the lites and then the Hallmark ornaments. It was a huge chore that took the entire day. We would have to put the lights on then find the missing bulbs to make sure out light up ornaments went to that spot. Of course that didn't help when trying to make sure the lights worked before putting them on the tree. Then you had to take the ornaments and divide them up as to whose ornaments they were. Take them out of their boxes and hang them up. Of course they are Hallmark so they can be heavy so some would really hang low. It was always so pretty when it was done but it was just a pain. The year before last we went to Wal-Mart the day after Christmas and got a new tree. This is a pre-lit tree. We don't have to mess with the lights anymore. We also made decorating a little easier and did not bring out the Hallmark ornaments. We are keeping it simple with a blue and silver garland and silver bows. It is pretty, basic, and less stressful. The most stressful part was finding a place to put it and trying to figure dinner out at the same time. I say every year we aren't putting up a tree but we do.

School and Christmas

I found out today that co-op is only the first two Fridays in December. We have almost of month of no co-op. Yeah! I love co-op don't get me wrong, but it will be a nice break to be off from that and concentrate on other stuff. I was planning on taking off two weeks, but if the boys don't have a lot going on with school we might take off three. I probably shouldn't but I find it so hard to do school work with the holidays. I am not actually doing the work but teaching. It is just hard to concentrate it seems.

I haven't put up my tree yet. I have to find a spot for the tree. I am excited about Seth and JM's presents and want to have a tree. I am also hoping to get family pictures taken. One last picture before JM leaves in the summer. I got a coupon from Portrait Innovations in the mail. I think we will go there. Can't beat the deal they have. Check under their "special offers" area to see the coupon. Anyway, I am starting to get into the Christmas mood and am hoping to make it special one for the family.

We got all the Boy Scout popcorn delivered and paid for, thanfully. Now I have to figure out who gets what financially in the scout accounts. Then it will be time to recharter and for it all to be spent again. Never ends...hard to get and easy to go. LOL

Enjoy your day!

Nice Weekend...

It was really a nice weekend. JB was off all weekend except when we worked on Saturday night. We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner and nice company. Friday morning around 9:00 we got up and went shopping. They had a really good deal at Sears. I cannot tell you what I bought just in case he reads this, but I will say we have JM almost finished. We basically have Seth finished too. We know what we are going to do to finish up on JM's gift. The hard part is going to be shopping for Joshua. I am not sure what we are going to get him and he doesn't know what he wants either. We have my mom taken care of already, so we will have to get for his parents, which is usually gift cards. Christmas shopping was pretty easy this year. Or at least so far it has been. I want to buy something for my hubby but I am not sure I will be able too.

We are jumping back into school this week. I am going to buckel down and get as much done as I can in the next few weeks. I am planning on taking off Dec. 22 to Jan. 5. Hubby will be off for part of that too. It is hard to get school done when he is home.

I worked 2o hours this week. Wow! When I started this job I was thinking I would work about 12 hours tops. This week we were so busy on Tuesday and Wednesday I had to work more. I actually closed two of those days. The money will help but I don't want to do it on a regular basis. I hope I don't have to.

Time to wake up the kids and get them moving for the day. I have to get the mind set of school so it will go smoothly. I hope I don't have to run to the library today. I hope it can wait until tomorrow. I want to stay home today.

Have a good day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have been looking forward to today. Not only do we have the day off, but we get to eat too. ;-) We also get to spend the day with some friends that we do not get to visit with very often. Usually on Thanksgiving. That is our tradition, spending Thanksgiving with them. I had to make pumpkin pie, 2 cheesecakes, chipped beef dip, and corn bread casserole.

I am thankful for my salvation and my family's salvation most of all. I am thankful that the Lord loves me even when I mess up. I am thankful for a wonderful husband that loves me and I have no doubt about it. I am thankful to have my family together (next year JM won't be with us boo hoo). I am thankful we are all healthy and happy. There is so much to be thankful for even when it looks gloomy because the Lord is in control and He will win in the end! I am thankful to be on His side!

One thing I plan on doing today is telling my family that I love them, I am thankful for them, and I am thankful that the know the Lord. I just want them to know that I appreciate them and am glad that I have them in my life!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Company

Today my mom came to visit. She lives about 2 hours away, but she doesn't get to visit my house very often. I think since we have moved here she has visited 5 times. That is 5 times in 12 years! It isn't easy for her to come, or wasn't. Now that she doesn't have to take care of anyone, it will be easier, but I still doubt she will visit. She came today because my brother from California drove her here. That is okay. You wouldn't believe what I went through the day before. My mom is a total neat freak. I mean her house is spotless. She has clean dirt if any dirt. My house is not dirty but it is lived in. I like having a clean house but to me, the family is more important. The dishes will get done, the laundry will get done, but the kids are only there once. Anyway, we (my family and I) cleaned our behinds off all day yesterday. We were tired when we were done. One good thing is that it was clean for mom, but another was that it is clean and I can chill tomorrow. LOL I have to work at 4:00 so I will like the break. I am going to sleep in too.

How can you sleep in when you have school to do you may ask. Well I shall tell you.... We took the week off! :-) With all the running from the last two weeks with grandma and such, we needed a break. Poor Seth had so much work to do as he had co-op stuff to do and he did most of it in one day. It was a mess. I mean, he did a great job mind you, but he was beat! We don't have scouts or co-op this week so we are enjoying the week off. And I don't feel the least bit guilty. I know we will be done and all will be well.

We will be busy on Wednesday at work. I don't think we will be too busy tomorrow because people will be getting pizza on Wednesday instead. They won't want to cook with Thanksgiving the next day and all. I know I wouldn't. hee hee!

Well, I have the biggest library fine I have ever had. I am a week later returning 5 movies. YIKES! They are 50 cents a movie per day! My fine is $13.00 total! Is that bad or what? I just couldn't make it to the library. Shame on me!

In case I don't post again...

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your turkey or whatever you eat and enjoy your family.

Ho hum

Next week will be better, right? It has been a long 2 weeks. This one will end on Sunday and then a new week will begin and all will be better. It can get worse, but I am thinking positive and saying it will get better. One good thing did happen this week... John got a 55 cent an hour raise! Yeah!

My grandmother passed away Tuesday morning. She was 89 yr. old. Her 90 birthday would have been on the Nov. 25. Everyone told me she looked peaceful. I should have been there or went to visit again. My sister (who is a Christian) told me about her calling the dead relatives like her mom, grandparents, and her brother. They were all saved people. She said they were there and she could see them. That gave my sister hope that she was saved and went to Heaven. She was there with Grandma when it happened so if she feels that was something to hope for then I guess I have to as well. The funeral is Thursday. Pastor Bicklehaupt will be doing the service. If you would, please pray for the unsaved family members. Pray they are open to what the Pastor says and trust in the Lord. Grandma didn't know anyone really as she lived in Iowa for most of her life except the last 2 years. We actually went down to get her two years ago over Thanksgiving.

We got more snow than I wanted. Of course any snow is more snow than I wanted. ;-P I still ask myself or my husband "WHY do we live in Ohio?" LOL

Thanks for your prayers!

Seth is 15 today!

I cannot believe it! Time sure flies by anymore. In 6 months he can get his permit. YIKES! I promise to warn all of you before he gets it. Scary thought, isn't it? LOL

Grandma is still hanging on. She is fighting it every step of the way. It worries me that maybe she isn't ready to go and the doctors are wrong. I am not there so I don't know. It scares me that a wrong decision was made, but it is up to the Lord. She is calling out for her mom and for her grandparents. Of course they have been gone for many years. They asked her if her mom was there in the room and she said yes. I had heard of people doing that, but thought they were always stories. So I don't know. I am not sure what to think of that.

We got more snow today, but it isn't really sticking. I am glad. I hate snow.

'Til next time...

The snow is falling again.

Boo hoo! I know it is coming but I don't want it too. I don't like the cold.

It has been a long week and next week will be even longer. Wednesday I got a phone call that Grandma was not doing well and I should probably come. They took her by ambulance to the hospital. She had been calling out and crying in pain for 2 days and the nursing home didn't do anything. Mom visited Monday and she was not well, but wasn't crying in pain or anything. They never called my mom or did anything to help. It is very upsetting. When my mom and sister went to visit on Wednesday they knew immediately something was wrong. All day on Wednesday Grandma (who turns 90 this month) cried out in pain, "help me please" over and over. It was so agonizing. Finally help came and she was sedated. It was a long day for all of us, but even so more for my mom and sister who found her and was there the whole time. Thursday she was sedated all day and got some much needed rest. Friday she started going down hill even more. The family was called in on Saturday morning and she is now with hospice. Luckily my sis-in-law is a nurse and was able to pull some strings to get hospice in tonight instead of tomorrow. The doctors are surprised she is still alive as she is down to 4 breaths a minute. She is a fighter. Scares me that she is fighting because I worry she doesn't know the Lord. We had some alone time with her and my sister witnessed to her again. I reinforced it, so hopefully she knows who He is. We are just waiting for that phone call.

Seth's birthday is Monday. He will be 15! Wow! Time just flies by! I cannot believe it! I am not sure what we are doing for his birthday yet. He hasn't said where he wants to eat or if he wants to do something special. Monday he has scouts and it is popcorn night so we have to go.

Pray for my grandma if you would. Thanks!

'Ti next time...

Seth is...

Seth is a Life Scout! Yeah! He passed his Board of Review tonight. I am very proud of him. His Grandpa Art would have been very proud of him as well. His Grandpa was an Eagle Scout. That is Seth's next rank. It is a lot of work but I think Seth can do it.

Tomorrow is Tasty Tuesday at Pizza BOGO! Ya'll should take advantage of those $5 pizza! Good stuff man!

We are having some friends over on Friday. We haven't had anyone over in ages. Now that the paper routes are gone, we can actually enjoy some fellowship. It will be nice to do so.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

'Til next time...

It's Friday!!!

I don't know why I sound excited as it is just another day. Actually I am a little excited. Normally we go to our homeschool co-op today. Well, Joshua has a stuffy nose and that is also what Seth had earlier then Seth got the flu too. So as a precaution, I am keeping Joshua home and sending Seth. Seth is fine and all now so I don't mind sending him. That means that I will have a day at home with no schooling to worry about. I can concentrate on picking up the house and doing a few loads of laundry and just catching up on stuff at home. It needs it too. I am not thrilled about cleaning all day, but glad to have a day where I can and not feel guilty that I should be doing more science or whatever. I don't know if you can understand that unless you homeschool. Sometimes as a homeschool mom you are torn about do I read with my child or do this experiment or do I clean the kitchen first. My husband told me school comes first. All the other stuff will get done but school is more important. So that is they way we do it. My house isn't a spotless showroom. The kids are more important than a few dishes in the sink or basket of towels that needs folding. So if you ever visit, my house isn't spotless but it is well lived in. Do you want to see me or my house? ;-)

I had to work an extra day this week. The owner was having some friends in and needed someone "professional" at the counter. Why he asked me I don't know. LOL The only problem was it was really hard to hear when I answered the phones because of the people in the lobby area that were his friends. I got through it and only worked a few hours so that was okay. I have to work Saturday night yet then I don't go back until Tuesday.

JM and I went shopping this week. He bought a bunch of stuff for a kitchen. He is planning on leaving next summer I think and getting an apartment. Unfortunately it will be in Texas. I worry but everyone tells me he is a good kid and smart, and will be fine so I guess I should have that same faith that others do. It is a mom's job to worry, right? I will miss him. He isn't home much now, but he still does come home every night.

'Til next time...

I voted today!

Did you? It is so important to vote. There was a lot of things on the ballot for our area. Actually four pages to vote on. I went prepared, or so I thought. There was a thing or two that through me off but I think I did okay. If you can vote, do so! As much as I want you to vote for my candidate, I want you to vote for who you think is the best and how the issues should be.

Please, vote today!!!

It is snowing!

It is only October and it is snowing! It is one of those times where you want to say "God, what are You thinking?" BUT I know He is right and just and true and He has it all under control. I may not like it but that is okay. It is what He wants and I just have to deal with it. If you haven't figured it out yet, I hate snow! I hate cold! UGH! The good part to me is that it isn't sticking. Yeah for that!

Seth was excited yesterday. He has been working with JM on Tuesdays helping out here and there. Like folding boxes, cutting vegetables, just whatever is needed done. Well yesterday, they taught him how to answer the phones and take orders. He did a great job too. The owner gave him a shirt to wear so he can be out with the people. He thinks it is cool.

I am tired today. I usually am on Wednesday for some reason. I got up and went for my walk with my neighbor, even in the cold. BRRR!

'Til next time...

I hate finding titles.

It is like when you are writing a story or something and you have to put a title on it. Or when you are writing a paragraph and you have to find the subject sentence of the paragraph. I just am not good at that. Just frustrating at times!

Yesterday morning John gets up and does the bathroom thing then comes back to bed. I asked him if he knew what time it was. It was cold and I didn't want to get out from under the blankets. He told me it is a little after 7:00. I thought, cool! Got a little time. I will get the boys up and in the shower and we will be good to go. Well, I got Joshua in the shower and am checking my e-mail and look at the time on my computer. It said 8:29 or something. WHAT!? I look at the clock in the bedroom and it says 7:29. I was beginning to think I was in the twilight zone or something. What happened was that our clock automatically sets itself for daylight savings and such. Well, it is set to do it with the old way. Which would have been yesterday had it not been for the government changing it. So it "fell back" an hour. UGH! So we hurried around as fast as possible and we weren't too late for church thankfully. Not good going around thinking you had plenty of time and realizing you had and hour! UGH!

We had dinner with a family from the church. The husband is our SS teacher. They are nice and we had a good time. It was mostly John and Steve talking but that is normal. I am usually pretty quiet. They have 4 daughters and Joshua didn't think he would have too much fun but he did. He played with their dogs, rode bikes, and played tether ball. Seth went with us too and sat with the adults and talked. JM couldn't go because of a meeting for work.

In November the church is having a public school revival. They had prizes that needed to be bought and was asking people in the church to buy them. We picked up 2 tickets and bought what was on it.

I bought a new curriculum last night that Terry Hamilton wrote. It is called The First 2000 Years of Baptist History. I haven't looked through it completely but I am confident it will be educational and correct. I can't wait to get a chance to dive more into it.

I cannot believe how cold it is already. I am not wanting winter to come or the snow. I hate being cold! I need to move to TX or some place warm. I liked living in TX. It was not bad in my book.

Someone made us a special offer. We don't know all the details, but it is something we have to decide if we even want to pursue it. Keep us in prayer as we consider the offer, learn more about it, and make a decision. Thanks! I will share more when I can.

'Til next time...

Stolen Innocence

I just finished reading a book called Stolen Innocence My Story of Growing Up in a Polygamous Sect, Becoming a Teenage Bride, and Breaking Free of Warren Jeffs. It is about a girl that grew up in the FLDS and was force to marry at 14 to a cousin she hated. It was very eye opening to see what these people actually believe and how easily they are brainwashed and manipulated. It just shows that Satan can pull the wool over your eyes so easily. I felt so bad for this girl but it does turn out well. I won't tell you the ending just in case you decide to read it. There are some parts that are a little descriptive, but it is a good book. It is just sad that this girl had to go through this. You will Praise the Lord for the life and parents you have.

JM is now the new manager of Pizza BOGO! He is very excited that he was made manager. Pray for him as he does this job. Pray he can do it, but also that he can be a witness to others. I worry that he has so much responsibility at such a young age. He is a smart man though and I am sure he will be fine. Still pray for him if you will.

Two posts in one day... wow!

'Til next time...

Monday... Blah!

I was bummed last night realizing the weekend was over and we had to start over again with a new week. I actually enjoyed my weekend. I usually do I guess, but more so this weekend. It just went fairly well I guess. We didn't do anything exciting, or out of the ordinary. John and I both worked Saturday night. I got home around 9:00 but he had to work until closing. I was zonked when he got home.

Of course Sunday was church. We were late for Sunday School but didn't miss anything, thankfully. The teacher invited our family over for dinner after church this coming Sunday. We agreed to go. The church is having a missions conference this week. They had it yesterday, then Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Then I think if finishes up next Sunday. Yesterday Dr. Wendell Runion was there. Wednesday the Combs Family, Thursday Gary Lukas, Friday the Bryan Family, and on Sunday the Hamilton Family. I just thought I would let some of you know in case you are interested.

School is still trucking along. I am really thankful that it is going so well. I hope it continues. We have had enough rough times with school during our career of homeschooling. I am ready for a good year. Seth is really enjoying co-op and is doing well with those classes as well as the ones he is doing at home. I think if all goes as planned he will be graduating next year. It is still a little early to tell yet. He could if he really wanted to and he does. He wants to graduate with his friends at co-op.

'Til next time...

Tasty Tuesday

I got my first paycheck last night! It feels weird to actually get a paycheck. When we did the newspapers the money was directly deposited into our checking account. I didn't get paid for all I worked. I am not sure I will say anything this time. What happened was that I went the first day and I wasn't in the computer system to log in and out. So I was there for about 4 hours but he forgot to pay me for them. He is the type you have to remind a few times. He has an accountant that does his paychecks so if the person doesn't see that I was logged in and logged out, he can't see that I worked. Anyway, I might just let it go. Today isn't a good day to ask about it anyway with it being Tasty Tuesday. Any large pizza for $5. You can get any toppings and as many pizzas as you want for $5. If you haven't tried it yet, you should. Good pizza! www.pizzabogo.com is the website.

I am enjoying the nice weather we have been having the last few days. Especially in the morning for my walks with Sara. I am so not ready for winter. One thing I am thankful for with the winter coming is that I don't have to get up at 2:00 AM to do the papers!

The paper place paid us too much money and we had to write them a check to pay it back. We knew they paid us too much but didn't know how much. Henry called and gave us a total. We met him at the warehouse on Saturday. He asked us to come back and we said NO! but in a nice manor. Screaming NOOOOOOO in the inside you know. LOL Then he asked if we would consider being subs. We could pick what days we wanted to do it and stuff, but we both said no to that too. That actually pays good money! You get $25 a night plus commission from the deliveries. Way more than what you get being a straight carrier. You get ripped off being a carrier compared to that. I am just glad that part of life is over.

At church they started a new thing where the adults have different Sunday School classes. They have about 7 different adult classes to choose from and they are geared toward your age group. We had the teacher and his wife, then two other couples, then us in the class. John thought it was neat, but I didn't really care for it. It was only the first day though, so we will see. I will give it a chance. We haven't joined the church yet. We don't want to jump into anything.

'Til next time...

Remember Me?

It has been a while since I have posted. I have been busier than I thought I guess. Or I should say more tired than I thought! I feel pretty good today, so that is a plus. I went to bed a little earlier as I was in a lot of pain. Since I have had Joshua, I have had some pain (like a cramp) every now and then. Usually it is a dull ache that I can deal with, but it does stop me for just a few minutes. Last night it was doubling over and not functioning type of pain. It was unreal how much it hurt. I don't know what is wrong and JB keeps telling me to go to the dr. blah! Today it is better. Praise the Lord for that.

Work is going good. I am working a few more hours than I had planned but that is okay I guess. JB is home with them the one night, JM comes home and is with them one night, but Joshua is alone for a few hours on one night. He is fine and I have neighbors keeping their eyes and ears open but I just feel bad he is alone for a few hours. It is a lot of guilt because I don't want him home alone making his own dinner. That is my job, you know? He thinks it is cool. It isn't like he has never stayed alone before, but it is the point that I feel bad about it. I had a friend offer to have him come over for one of the nights. They have a wooded area to play in and would find tons to do, plus the outdoors would do him some good. I may take her up on it, especially before winter sets in.

School is trucking along really well. I am so thrilled to have to having a great school year. Last year was not good. You cannot tell by their test scores though. They did fantastic on their testing for last year. I guess they did get it! LOL This year I think is going well. We are done before noon most days and it is just going well. Science with Joshua takes a lot of time. Their is just so much to the reading and questions and such. It does have fairly easy experiments so that helps.

The guy that assaulted JB was indicted. He has a hearing on Monday. JB does not have to go to any of the hearings unless he wants too. Pray the guy confesses or takes a deal or something. That is me asking. I don't wan to have to go to court nor have the boys testify. Seth is nervous about that.

I guess that about catches you up with life at the Bergman's.

Til next time...

New Job

I am starting my new job today. John and JM work at the same pizza place. A girl that worked there moved away and they needed someone to answer the phones and take orders. Hubby thought it would be fun if we worked together again. He told me I didn't have to, it was up to me. Well I figured for a few hours a week couldn't hurt. I went in today and talked to him and he wants me to start tonight. I will work a few hours tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday night. I had to buy pants. That was weird! I haven't bought a pair of pants in many, many years. Amazingly the first pair I tried on fit. I found a store that has clothes that actually fit me! Wow! Short and fat ;-) It is hard to find that size.

It is chilly today. I am not ready to turn on the heat yet. I hope I can convince my husband the same thing. He gets cold faster than I do. I actually learned to wear a sweater! I wish I could teach him that. It is so expensive to turn on the heat. I am so cheap!

John and Seth are going camping tomorrow night with the scouts. It will be a chilly night for them but that is part of scouting. I hope they stay warm and have a good time. I am sure they will. Better them than me! I am so supportive of their camping. Hee hee!

'Til next time...

Niagara Falls

The boys took a little trip this weekend to Niagara Falls. JM, Seth, and Joshua drove there and back in one day. It took them about 4 hours and they stayed for about and hour. To me, that was silly, but they thought it was great! They had a good time. I was nervous for them all to go but enjoyed the alone time with my hubby! It was good for them to get out and "see the world" and good for me to loosen those apron strings a little bit. It was hard, but I had peace. I know the Lord would take care of them.

Fireproof

This weekend JB and I went on a date. We went to Applebee's thanks to Mypoints.com. Oh it was yummy! We both didn't finish our meal. We also went to see Fireproof: Never Leave Your Partner Behind! Oh wow! That was a great movie! We don't normally go to movies but this one I wanted to see. JB was a little skeptical, but was glad he saw it. He that is was a great movie! It is made by the same people that did Facing the Giants. It has a clear Gospel message in it and really touches your heart. It is a wonderful movie! If you don't see it at the theater, then make sure you rent it, borrow it, or buy it when it comes out on DVD.

More later...

Multitasking mom.

What mom doesn't multitask, really? We all do it right? I am teaching my Joshua, texting John, and surfing the net. Now, I am blogging! Oh and listening to Seth tell me about Biosphere 2. What a mom! What a woman! What a load of bunk! LOL I can't multitask well enough actually! If I could, my house would be much more organized. ;-)

John has to testify in front of the Grand Jury on Monday. The accused will not be there. I guess they don't need us to testify this time. I just pray that the guy will confess and make a deal or something so we don't have to go to court. I do appreciate everyone's prayers. They have been felt and a great comfort. Thank you!

My neighbor's 4th birthday is today. I got on the net and found some free printable coloring pages and printed them out to make a little book. I then made a card on the computer and printed that out. I gave her a new box of crayons, the coloring book, and the card with a dollar in it. She was THRILLED! It is so nice when they are that young and so easy to please! They then grow up and well... most of you know that story. If not, you will find out. ;-) It isn't that they aren't easy to please it is that their toys get more expensive. Especially grown-ups!

Moving on to history... studying for a test... He is doing well by the way. Yeah!

Last night we got pizza. John had to work at the pizza place last night because it is their busiest day. Tuesdays they have $5 pizzas with a coupn. ANY large pizza for $5. That includes their world gourmet pizzas. You can sign up for the coupon at www.pizzabogo.com. I really like Pizza BOGO. This is only available at their Akron store though and you have to pick it up. It is in the valley. We still have some left so guess what lunch is!! LOL

'Til next time...

What a weekend!

I don't know where to begin! John, JM, and Seth were in TX. They had a good weekend. Mine wasn't too bad either. It was long with them gone though. Friday night Joshua's friend spent the night and we went to Chuck E Cheese for dinner and played. I had some great coupons. They stayed up and played while I went to my room and watched some tv. I feel asleep before them but I could "hear" them. They went to bed about 12:30. I pretty much relaxed for the weekend with some cleaning.

The guys got back a little early and I wasn't at the airport to get them but went and all was fine. We came home and shared with each other our weekend and such then decided to go get something to eat. John wanted to go to Papa Gyros in Canton. We couldn't remember if they took the card or not so wanted to stop at the ATM to get cash. What a mistake that turned out to be. John was assaulted and all three of my boys saw it. We are not sure what the deal was but the guy pulled in front of John to get to the ATM. The guy didn't even pull into the area to get the money. He parked really weird. He gets out of his car and starts yelling at my John. John rolls down the window and tells the dude to chill and the guy keeps yelling and John tries to get him to relax. We aren't sure what his problem is as he is the one that cut us off. He starts walking to the car and so dhJohn gets out. He wanted to defend himself and us if needed. As John gets out the guy reaches into the front seat and grabs a 16 inch wrench looking thing. John said it was for changing tires but it isn't your normal tire iron. He is telling John to bring it on. John is telling him to relax and I am freaking because hubby is out of the car. The share some words and then the guy swings the wrench. It grazes John's face cutting (barely) his cornea and other cuts under his eye and on his nose. They sort of wrestle a little standing up and then they guy backs off and walks away, so John starts walking back to the car. The guy come from behind and kick John in the back of the leg and John turns around and the guy swings the wrench and gives him a gash on his head (like the side of his forhead but back towards the head. Then John tried to get the wrench out of his hand and kicks it out of his hand and the guy also loses his cell phone. Seth sees the wrench, picks it up, and throws it so the guy can't get it again. JM is on the phone with 911. I see the ATM card on the ground and go to get it. I wasn't sure if it was John's or the other guys. If it was John's I wanted to get it. Well the guy seems me going after it and rushes me and pushes me into the building, knocking me down, bending my glasses and pops out the lens. I have a little bruise and very small cut from that. Of course that just really angered my John. The guy goes to the passenger side and climbs in and takes off. Seth got his license number so we could tell the police. John has blood streaming down his face (you know how bad head wounds bleed). While JM is on the phone with 911 the guys walks back to the area wanting his cell phone. He had a brick in his hand ready to go after John again but John held out his hand with the cell phone in it and the guy left calling him all sorts of names of course. The police came and so did the EMS. They did catch the guy and we had to file a report and take statements and ID him. He was charged with felonious assult. We went to the hospital. John got 4 staples in his head and drops for his eyes to hopefully heal the cornea. It was very scary and so senseless. I don't know what the guy was thinking or what his problem was. He was really just a jerk all around. My youngest was screaming and crying the whole time. He sat there watching all this. I am sure it was terrifying for him. I feel so bad for him that he had to see it.

It was nuts! I hope I never have to go through that again. If the guy had a gun, I would be a widow. I cannot believe how dumb this whole thing was. There was no reason for any of it. I am not a confrontational person anyway, then to have this happen, I won't ever confront anyone again! It isn't worth it. Wow!

We got home from the hospital and talked to the kids to make sure they were okay. They all seemed fine. I am glad they weren't tramatized by it all. John did go to work today. I cleaned his head up the best I could and put some triple antibiotic ointment on it.

Sometimes I think the world has gone absolutely mad!

'Til next time... (with happier news I hope)

We Have Power!!!

Yippee! We are back from the dark side of the earth! LOL It came back on while I was taking JB, JM, and Seth to the airport. They are now in TX. They are grabbing a bite to eat then on their way to see Shelbie. JM is so excited! I am happy for him, but it is a mess right now and I just hope all goes well. They landed in Houston and got a rental car. I just hope the visit it a good one for him because it will be a bit before he goes again.

I went to Applebee's today with my friend April. We then went to Wal-Mart. I found some clothes for Joshua. He sleeps in shorts and I got 2 pairs for $2 each. Then I got him 3 shirts. Two were $3 one was $1. I love the clearance rack!! LOL I also got us some frozen pizza for dinner tonight. Quick and easy for the two of us!

I am tired after getting up early and then sending them off, then shopping. I need a nap but I have too much to do. Tomorrow is co-op and we will be gone all day. So I really need to do stuff today. Boo!!! ;-)

I am glad the power is on and I can see again. I missed the light. I could deal without the internet, computer, and tv but it was quiet. I just hated not being able to waqlk in a room and see.

I haven't seen Amy post for a bit and am a little worried. Anyone hear from her?

'Til next time...

No Electricity!

Sunday night we had a wind storm and we lost power. It has been out since Sunday night. Life has been interesting living by candlelight! I am at the library right now so I can check in on life. I hope everyone else in the area survived the storm. More importantly I hope everyone has electricity!!! It has been fun... Well not really but interesting.

Oh! We have a large 5 day cooler that we are keeping our refrigerator stuff in and my neighbor's dad is bringing her a small generator so she can run her freezer and frige. So we will have a way to keep stuff cold. Yeah! It has been out for 42 hours now. I don't know if we have been ever had it out that long.

I hope all is well with my blogging buddies!

'Til next time...

School, life, and stuff

Friday was our first day of co-op. I think Seth is going to have a good year at co-op and learn a lot. He is doing English, Spanish, Biology, and Volleyball. He is also taking an SAT/ACT prep class. He has to do that as well as all of our stuff at home. Since he is doing English at co-op, I am not making him do it at home. It really works out well. He still has Algebra II, literature, history, spelling, and all that other stuff. He will be busy this year. It is good for him though and I think he will do great!

Joshua is taking a health class, classics on tape, volleyball, a science class, Spanish, and a lego class. I don't know how he likes his classes because I haven't been able to really talk to him about them. The only thing he did say was that he didn't care for the science class because he has to bring in 10 different bugs next week and they have to be alive. He is not a bug lover! He hates bugs!!! I don't blame him!

Seth is sick. I am hoping it isn't anything but his side hurts where his appendix is. I am praying it is nothing. He is in bed at the moment, but I told him if it got worse to get me. He also feels sick to his stomach and feels like he is going to vomit. I don't want to rush to the hospital but I don't want him in pain. He won't take anything for it, which might be a good thing because it would mask the pain or hurt the cause so to speak. He was supposed to go to Cedar Point, but with the rain it was canceled. It is probably a good thing. He would not have made it.

It was nice not having to do the paper route this morning. We have been loving it. It will be nice to get a good night's sleep on a Saturday night and not be tired in church. I wasn't tired last week in church because we only had the little route and I was able to sleep, but I can really sleep tonight. I really haven't been sleeping well just yet. It will take time for my body to adjust. I was up at 5:30 this morning. Boo!!!

I played around with my setting and such today. I think it looks pretty neat. I like it! I wanted a different background but it didn't seem to fit like this one does. I wanted it to look good. Thanks Nicole for your help. I couldn't figure it out. I added some blinkies too. Can you tell I love my hubby?? LOL

'Til next time...

We are done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A bit much huh? Well, I cannot help it. I am so happy to be done with the paper routes. Today was our last day! We said our good-byes to everyone and I will not have to deliver another paper unless I really want to. LOL YEAH RIGHT! Like I would want to! ;-)

I am sorry. I am just so thrilled! We all are.

'Til next time...

First Day of School

Today was Seth and Joshua's first day of school for the year. Everything went really well I think. Seth is pretty much on his own unless he needs something. Joshua needs a lot of my attention and I expect that right now. I made the boys a special breakfast and am now in the process of making a special lunch to "celebrate" our first day back to school. I am also going to the library and to Game Stop after lunch.

JM went around the other two boys this morning showing his diploma. He said, "I would be doing school right now too, but I have this!" He thought he was something. Seth just rolled his eyes. He went to work, the other two stayed home. Not sure which is better off. LOL

Joshua will be using Spelling Power. We tried it for the first time today and so far so good. He likes the idea of spelling being only 15 minutes long and not having to redo 20 plus words over and over and over. I do to really. Seth will be sticking with A Beka. It seems to work well for him.

Over all it was a good day for school and I am happy about that. What I am not happy about is the paper route. One of the managers that isn't my manager fired the guy that took over one of our routes. Now they expect us to do it. Is that wrong or what? I was so mad this morning after I was yelled at for not doing the route or "helping". Why would I? Give me one reason why I should? I am not the idiot that fired him. Whatever! I don't want to go into it too much because I will just get mad again! I didn't sleep well and then for this to happen it was a bad combination. JB said we will do it for tomorrow and Wednesday and then see what our DM says when he is back from his days off (he gets Monday and Tuesday off). So guess what I get to do tomorrow. I haven't told the kids yet and they will not be happy because they will have to help me. I don't care if they are filled or not, I will not deliver newspapers on Sept. 15, 2008. I refuse! I was so close I could taste it. Now I feel like I have been thrown back into it. UGH!!

JM's car is running great! He had some extra work done to it (took it to our mechanic) and it is running really smooth. He loves it! I am so glad it has worked out for him. He put about $700 to 800 of work into it. It is his money. Must be nice to have that huh? lol

I guess that is about it for now. Have a great day!

'Til next time...

Two down, one to go!

Today JB and I only had to deliver 86 papers! Woo Hoo!! lol The smallest things keep me happy, huh? Today was the first day we didn't have to deliver or help deliver the other two routes. Man, we were done in a flash! We did get up a little early just to make sure the other two carriers came in. The one showed up, the other had to be called and woke up. He got there just as we were leaving. We delivered our papers and came home for about an hour or so, then we went back out and checked on them. The girl was fine, almost finished. The guy (that was late) actually was doing great, but then just disappeared! We looked for him but he was no where to be found. I don't know where he went. We went to IHop and then came back and the papers were delivered. I don't know where he went but he came back and finished. He did miss at least one house because I got a phone call from a customer. I told them I couldn't help them, that it wasn't my route anymore. He said he knew but wanted to see if I knew the person's number so he could call them. I didn't but told him to call the paper and someone would get him a paper. He said it was funny to not have his paper after never missing it for so long, then the first day we aren't there, it isn't either. LOL I felt bad for the customer. I told him he is just starting and will get better. Or at least I hope so! We did get some tips from our customers, so that was nice. I think they will miss us.

JM had to work today. He (and I) didn't think they would be busy today but I guess they were. It is a day most people cook out but I guess people also buy pizza! At least he wasn't bored. I would rather be busy than bored.

JB worked on my neighbor's steps. He was able to finish one step, the very bottom. He said he had to get that as a base and wait for it to dry. After that, it should be fairly easy to finish. He won't be able to do it today because the step won't be dry today, but he can work on it this week or Saturday. I am sure my neighbor will be happy. The guy that did it before really messed it up! She has the worst luck with people fixing things it seems. They seem to take her money and do a crappy job. JB felt bad for her I think. I am glad he is willing to help her.

We are making burgers and brats on the grill and I am making fries. They didn't want any corn on the cob. I am surprised! That is okay. That will give me something else to go with other food later this week.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable day. We did, but missed JM today.

'Til next time...

One down, two to go!

Today was the last day to do our biggest paper route. Yeah!!! We still have to "keep an eye on him" until Wednesday when my DM gets back. The 2nd biggest route we are hoping will done tomorrow. The new girl will be doing it on her own Monday, but again, we will have to help if it is needed. The 3rd route is a small route. We might have to do it until the 14th yet. I know the DM is trying to fill it. It won't be that big of deal to fill as it is small. It also isn't that bad to deliver because it is small. It is so exciting to be done! We are relieved. Money will be tight and we will have to watch it but it will be much better for our family and for our health. I am sure the Lord will bless. Plus we can do more for Him.

JM's car is running so great! He is very happy with it and he feels good about it. I am glad it finally all worked out. God took care of it all! I knew He would, but it was so hard waiting for Him to do it. Know what I mean?

Oh! I got some good deals today at Acme! They had some items on sale and I had some good coupons. I had a coupon for a free Cascade Crystal Clear dishwasher rinse agent. It was $3.69! I got a bottle of Cascade gel dishwasher soap for 59 cents after a $2 off coupon. It wasn't the large bottle, but still, for 59 cents you can't beat it. Then I had a coupon for $1.50 off Dawn Direct Foam (hand) dish washing soap. It was $2.89, so I got it for $1.39. I thought those were pretty good deals! I was happy. I love going to Acme, handing them the savings card, then watching the minus signs for the items on sale. I saved a total of $41 today between coupons and sale items. I was pretty proud of myself. ;-) Of course it was the Lord that put it all in place. He is so good!

We are going to start school Sept. 8th. I have all my books now, turned in my paperwork, and just have to start. We are going to take a break yet this week and then start on the 8th. I honestly thought of waiting until after Seth got back from TX, but I don't want to wait that long. He will just have to work a little harder that week to finish. Or he can take some of it with him if he gets board. Yeah, right! :-) That won't happen. He is excited about the indoor pool and the gym at the hotel. He has never been on an airplane before and that is exciting to him too.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend! Get some rest and enjoy your family!

'Til next time...

We got the title!!! YES!

I was actually handed the title to JM's car today. After over 2 months of trying to get this title and car and what not... it is all good. The car is running great, it passed e-check, and it has 3o day tags on it for now. I can get the regular tags at any time. JM is thrilled. I am so happy for him. What a long journey that was!

Paper route update... It looks like we will have to do the route a little longer. The biggest route will be taken over on Monday. The middle route on Wednesday. The little one... well hopefully soon. I really wanted to start school Monday the 8th, but if we are still doing the papers, I won't. We need to be done with the route and focus on school. JB and I both agree on that. I will know more Wednesday. I am bummed as I really wanted to be done on Sunday and was looking forward to hanging out in bed all day Labor Day, but it won't happen. Boo hoo!! That is okay. At least we don't have to worry about the big route. Makes it a little easier.

JM bought Seth a ticket so he can go to TX too. Seth is excited to have a "vacation". I am glad JB is able to get away for a few days. It has been a rough year for us and it will be good for him to get away. I just wish I could go too. Not going to happen though. Maybe next time.

Thanks for praying about the car. I am glad the Lord finally worked it out. I hope we learned the lesson we needed to or whatever it was that needed done.

'Til next time...

The car is home!!!

JB and I picked up JM's car. We didn't have to pay the deductible, Dale paid it all. I think that was pretty big of him. I think he should as much as he has put us through. STILL don't have the title. I was told tomorrow it will be hand delivered. Yeah, sure. We will see. Anyone wanna place bets? J/K. JB did say it is running really well and they did find another valve that was broken so hopefully it will pass e-check.

I'll let you know what happens with the title.

'Til next time...

Getting closer and car update...

Well, it is Tuesday. That means only 5 more days of the papers. I am thrilled! To be normal again is such an awesome thought. To be even more broke is a little scary though. LOL It is a sacrifice I am willing to make. We will make it work with the Lord's help. Henry, the district manager, asked us to continue working after the first to help out the new people. Ummmmm NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was probably a little much, huh? ;-) I told him maybe we could work something out. JB does not want to and I don't either. Tomorrow one guy is to come in and train with us. JB will take him and also tell Henry no, we won't help. Henry is also going on vacation next week. That is why he wants us to help. We will see what happens.

JM's car is done. Dale called me yesterday (Monday) morning and said I could pick it up this morning (Tuesday). I asked him if he had the title because I can't do anything without the title. They won't give me a tag and the ones on it are expired. He said "oh yes! I will bring them to you". Well, he then calls me yesterday afternoon and tells me that he will stop by the mechanic's where the car is and put on a dealer plate so we can drive it. He will then get the title to me some time Tuesday. I am still not clear when. I told him that he could just leave it with the car. That would be fine. I don't know if he will or not. I will not all the way to Hartville until I know there are plates on it. I am not going to waste my gas, that is for sure. I don't know if I can pick it up today or not because I don't have anyone to help me anyway. JM and JB are both working. Then I have to run a meal to someone at 5 and the place closes at 5:00. So it will have to wait until the morning I guess. I will probably call the mechanic and let him know I will be there tomorrow early. I think he opens at 8:00 in the morning.

JM is thinking of taking Seth to TX too. Seth is excited at the thought of going. That will leave Joshua and I home again. That is okay. It will be nice and quiet! Now you know who the loud ones are. Ha ha!!! If he is going to take him, he needs to get his ticket because the rates will go up or the plane might fill up soon.

It was a quiet weekend and it was nice. Got my grocery shopping done and we did some cleaning. I am working on laundry again. Never ending process it seems.

'Til next time...

Only 9 more days!

Henry, our district manager, told us that he thinks he has our routes covered and our last day will be Aug. 31st. We are all praying that it works out. We are so done with it. It is sad that something like this brings us so much excitement.

Really not much else to report. JB has been very busy at work and doesn't have much time to even eat lunch. Tonight JB and Seth are camping with the Boy Scouts. It is a "family" camp-out, but I am not going. Someone has to do the papers and JB is the Scoutmaster so guess who gets to stay home. :-) It is okay. I rather sleep a few hours in my bed than all night in a tent.

I ordered the rest of our school books. I am not going to start until after Labor Day and after the papers are done. I really don't have the mind set to start yet anyway. With co-op it will be a little easier for me when it comes to Seth, but Joshua will have my full attention. A lot of Seth's stuff will be done through co-op and he will have to "answer" to them on his work. I like that. Gets him ready for college, if he chooses to go that route. He could graduate at 16, but JB doesn't like that idea. I say go for it. Get school done and over with, start working, and learn to be a man. How sad of a mother am I? ha ha! Seth likes the idea of graduating at 16. He would be almost 17. Anyway... School won't be starting until September here. Probably around the 8th. Co-op starts on the 12th. Gives us a week to get a head start on my stuff before starting on co-op work.

JB and JM are taking a trip to TX next month. They are going to see JM's special friend. I have met her but JB hasn't. Plus JB gets a vacation. It will be nice for him to have a few days off to just relax and also nice for JB and JM to have some time together. I think JB is really looking forward to the trip. JM is paying for it. JB has to go because JM isn't 18 yet and can't rent motels and cars and such. They are flying instead of driving this time. It will save time but a little more expensive with plane tickets. They got a fairly good rate on the tickets though. Just have to make sure they take a carry-on only and nothing else. It is extra to take luggage now.

I was thinking of dying my hair. I have never done that before. I have had perms but have never dyed it. I am thinking like a reddish color. What do you all think? Would it look bad? Hard for me to picture right now. I would have to find the right tint before I would do it. I doubt I do. I will chicken out! I am such a chicken!

It has been a basically quiet week. Kind of nice for a change. I like it!

'Til next time...

Happy Birthday to me!

Actually it was Sunday the 17th. I am now 38 years old. Two more years until the big 4-0! Yikes! That is okay. We all have to get there eventually. One step closer to meeting the Lord, right? ;-) Anyway, we went to church and the SS and service was really good. Then we went to get chicken and jojo's from Talamos on Kenmore BLVD. I love their garlic dip! YUMMY! After dinner I took a nap. A nice long nap. JB went to get Dairy Queen for me and I basically had a relaxing day. Had a few phone calls for my birthday. It was a nice day.

We did turn in our notice for the routes! I CANNOT wait! We gave the date of Sept. 14, but we might be able to quit on Aug. 31. I am really hoping we can. If Henry (the district manager) can find someone to fill the routes then he will. I said the sooner the better! Pray that it is sooner. It is really getting harder and harder to do the routes because I know the time to end is near. If you ever had a job you hated and knew it was almost over, you know what I mean.

JB (hubby) called about JM's car. It needs a new motor and the mechanic was waiting to hear from Dale to make sure it was okay. So JB called back Dale and talked to Bobby. He told Bobby that mechanic was waiting to hear from Dale. He expected Dale to call mechanic today to give the okay and have it done. It will cost us $200 for out deductible, but we won't pay it until the title is given to us. I don't think we should pay the $200 myself, but if it gets the job done, I will do it. I just want JM to have his car and move on from this mess. Once I have the car and all is well, I am going to post the name of this place my friends know not to buy from this place. Is that wrong? I don't know. Maybe it is. If the Lord tells me not to, I won't.

JB and I went to a place called Papa Gyro's in Canton. It was a long drive but was it good! Oh yummy! Wasn't too badly priced and got a lot of food.

It was a pretty uneventful weekend. I like those kind of weekends. I hope everyone had a great weekend and hope to read all about it!

'Til next time...

Quitting the paper routes!!

We have already made up our mind to quit the routes. I am so thrilled. I have to wait until the district manager comes to work tomorrow morning to tell him. We were going to have our last day be Sept. 30. Well, not anymore. This morning when I went in I found out that the Akron Beacon Journal and the Plain Dealer are merging. So on September 15 they plan on the ABJ carriers to deliver the Plain Dealer as well. Umm, NO! I have enough papers and have a hard enough time getting them done now. I am not going to do it. My last day now will be Sept. 14! It is a Sunday and the last day before I have to start delivering the Plain Dealer. I am so thrilled and cannot wait!! I cannot wait to sleep a normal night and have a normal life again. Mostly I will be glad to not fall asleep in church from being so tired. You may wonder how anyone can fall asleep in church, but trust me when you get up at 2:30 in the morning, work for about 4 1/2 to 5 hours then go to church, you are tired. Sitting in one spot for any length of time, you can easily fall asleep. I don't care where it is.

I didn't get my shopping done yesterday but I did get some laundry done. I am hoping to go to the library and the grocery store today, then continue with laundry. There isn't a ton of laundry or anything but it adds up fast with 5 people.

Have a good day!

'Til next time...

Productive weekend

The sale went okay. My mom and niece did well. JM made more than I did but at least we did get rid of some things. I was able to get away for a few days. That was nice too though I missed my hubby and my soft bed. Mom's spare bed is a little hard. I slept okay though.

JM is going to be a manager at the pizza place he works at. He started his first management class this weekend. He is pretty excited about it. His boss told my hubby that JM has what it takes to be a businessman. He is really impressed with JM.

We have decided to quit the paper route. We are really not making any money on it with the gas and the taxes. We are tired physically and mentally. It is a good decision. We have to give 30 days notice though, so it will be probably the end of September before we did. Also, there goes the Carrier of the Year award. Oh well. I just feel bad for my customers. I am hoping they will get a good carrier. A lot of them are older.

We had a family meeting yesterday afternoon. It was very productive. I am glad we had it. The boys got a better understanding of what JB and I have been dealing with and we got their feelings on some things that are going to happen around here. We have some changes coming up and it will be difficult for all of us, but the Lord will see us through.

Today I am going to see my friend Sara and we are going to talk about school stuff and other things. Her kids are coming to my house to watch a movie with my kids. We are hoping to actually have an adult conversation without interruptions. She has younger children. Those that have small kids know how hard it is to have a conversation with small ones around. Gee, even having older ones can be a problem at times. :-)

I need to get a grocery list ready and go shopping today too. I am hoping to do that anyway. I haven't seen if JB took my van today or not. I have to run to the library too. I have things on hold that need picked up. Not sure how much cleaning will get done today, but it is basically just laundry. The boys and I cleaned up Saturday. It is amazing how much can get done when you set your mind too it. Is it spotless? NO! It never will be either. I gave up on spotless years ago when the boys came along. It wasn't bad with one, but as the other two came along, my priorities became clear. They are more important than a spotless house.

Thanks for listening!

'Til next time...

Busy days ahead.

Today Seth and I got ready for the sale. We found some odds and ends and some big things to put in the sale. Some of it was in the basement and we cleaned it all up. I didn't have as much stuff as I thought. I could get rid of more, but I do want some stuff. ;-)

It is warm out tonight. JB and I took a walk after dinner. We walked about 20 or so minutes and talked. It was really nice. I am hoping to make a habit out of it but not sure how much he will be willing. He works all day on his feet so I know he is tired. It is nice to have some time just the two of us.

We are looking into quitting the paper route. I REALLY hope it works out. Pray that it does for us. I don't know what I will do with a good nights sleep every night! I am excited at the thought but am not going to get too excited. Just in case all doesn't work out. It will be some changes for us to and sacrifices, but it will be worth it.

Tomorrow I will be doing a lot of running. I have to collect from two of my customers, go to the library, and one other thing that I cannot remember at this moment! OH NO! I hope I remember tomorrow. They are repaving our street so it is a mess right now. I just hope I can get back home or even leave for that matter.

No news on the car yet. I am going to let it go for this week, then give them a call Monday. I have a feeling I still won't know anything at that point. No title yet. I haven't pushed for it. I am just tired of it all. It is really frustrating.

I am praying Amy's surgery went well. Pray for her health and a speedy recovery.

'Til next time...

Yippee! It is Friday!

That means JB will be home tomorrow! They have had a lot of fun at camp but I know JB is ready to come home. Seth is ready for a real shower. He earned his swimming merit badge and I think his climbing merit badge. He almost has his camping merit badge too. I think he almost has his Life rank. Yeah! After that is Eagle. He is pretty excited about it.

Joshua has done a great job on the paper route this week. I was worried about this morning because we have extra customers. We got it done! I kind of bribed him. I told him if he folded and delivered I would take him to Sheetz for a sandwich and cheese fries. After we started delivering I told him he was doing a great job and upped it to add in a shake. He was thrilled and really did great. He did slow down towards the end. We had really rushed and both of us were getting tired. We finished and I took him for his treats.

Next week I have to baby-sit for a friend on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Then on Thursday and Friday I am going to my sister's house for a yard sale. She lives on this busy road and has a big yard with a barn. When we have sales there we always do great. I have started getting ready for the sale. When I go I am taking Joshua with me. He and my niece are going to Cedar Point for the day. He doesn't know it yet. It is a surprise for working so hard this week and a few weeks ago when Seth was at camp. He will be thrilled!

Today I have been cleaning. I didn't do much cleaning this week with JB gone. With not many here it doesn't get too messy. I put down this powdery stuff on the carpet. You are supposed to leave it on for 15 min. So I went to the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher while I waited for that. It timed out pretty good. The house smells fresher. :-) I am waiting for the dining room to finish so I can vacuum it. I waited too long to vacuum because there was/is a lot of dog hair. Ginger really sheds! I haven't vacuumed all week. Like I said, I didn't do much. LOL

Won't know anything on the Toyota until next week. I hope it doesn't take too long. They are working on our roads this next week so there is one less car to worry about. We have to find other places to park. I don't know where that is going to be!

I guess I better get back to work.

'Til next time...

THEY CAME!!!!

After my other post today I didn't think it would happen but... I finally saw the tow truck and he actually took the car! Yeah! It was 2 hours after I called Dale not 1 but hey, it came! Now hopefully it will be fixed! Pray hard people!!

Oh I told the tow truck guy that I wasn't sure he was really coming. He looked at me funny and I said well, I have been told about 5 times you were coming and you never did. I wasn't sure he really called you. He shook his head and said, if the guy would have called, we would have been here. Not that I am surprised but Dale never ever called him until today. Even then it was Bobby not Dale.

I also made sure it was going to where Dale told me it was going. Just in case. I feel I need to cover all the bases because I do NOT trust Dale.

Thanks! I will keep you updated.

'Til next time...

The Tale of the Toyota continued and other stuff.

JB and Seth are off to camp. Actually JB is there at night only. He isn't during the day as he has to work. I can go see him at work, but trying to save gas as I don't have much left. I want it to last the week if I can, but with the paper route it won't happen. JM is off to work and Joshua is still sleeping. Lazy bum! ;-)

I called about the car again today. First I called Bobby and he told me he just got of the hospital for heart problems and such. (Sorry if this sounds bad, but I don't believe him) and that I needed to call Dale, the owner. I did say sorry for bothering him. I also told him that he needed to find a new job because this guy is going down and he will go down with him. So I immediately call Dale on the car lot's phone. Dude didn't even say hello, he just said Shelly. He knew it was me. Gee! He has my number memorized! I said YES! Just then his other phone rang. Give you one guess who it was! You are so smart!! It was Bobby calling to warn Dale I was calling and I was not happy! He then proceeds to tell Bobby to call the towing company. Now if Bobby had just gotten out of the hospital, why would he be telling him to call the towing company and such? Why would Bobby even worry about me? See why I don't believe him. Dale then tells me that the tow truck will be there in 1 hour. (by the way... he has 10 minutes...) I then ask about the title. He has the title he says... He will bring it to me this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Yeah! Right! So, Bobby calls me back to get my address, then he calls and said the towing company was called and they will be here. He didn't know when though. (him not knowing when I can believe) Right now I am waiting for the tow truck and we shall see what happens.

There was a great deal on ebay today and I had to pass it up. I hate that! I don't know what our checking account looks like so I didn't want to order them and not have the money. It was a set of books. Everything I needed for the class and it was about $50 cheaper than buying it new. To me, $50 is a lot of money. I sent JB a text but he didn't answer. I could have bought it anyway, but didn't want to risk it.

After the tow truck comes, I need to run to the Scout shop to get more blue cards for the Boy Scouts at camp. They ran out. Oh, blue cards are the cards they use to keep track of the steps they did to earn a merit badge. After the merit badge is earned they leader signs it and the boy uses it to prove he did the work.

I will let you know what happens with the car later on. No truck yet! UGH!

'Til next time...

Hey! No drama for a few days. ;-)

See, I can have a normal life! The last two days have been pretty simple. I am actually trying to remember if I did anything or not. Hmmm....

Oh yes, on Thursday I waited all day for the tow truck to come get JM's car. Anyone wanna guess what happened? I bet you can! That is right they didn't come. Gee, are you as shocked as me... NOT! I stopped by there today and asked for the title as I was told it would be ready today. Again, wanna guess what happened... You know what happened. No title as it was in Hartville he says. Why??? I am rolling my eyes as I think about all this. Just give me the title and get out of my life! Once I get that stupid title I think I will be done. I told the guy that the car was still sitting in my driveway. He was so shocked! Yeah right! UGH! Anyway there is your update on that. Poor JM is all I can say.

I took Ginger to get her rabies shot today. That was quick and easy. I was thrilled she didn't get sick. She usually doesn't do well with car rides but she made it okay today. We even went a few extra places and she still didn't get sick. We drove and stopped for a few and did that a few times. That probably helped out. The cheap vet place in Cuyahoga Falls has raised their prices a bit. It cost me $25 this time. I was expecting to pay $10. Oh well. She is good for 3 years now.

JB, Seth, and I went looking for a camp stove for them for next week at Boy Scout camp. We finally got one at Target. There was not much of a selection. That was a little surprising as it is summer and people usually camp in the summer. JB and Seth will be gone all week. I can go see him at work. He will go to work, then after work go to the camp. They leave Sunday afternoon and will return on Saturday afternoon. As I said, I will probably go see him at work and have lunch or something. I hate not seeing him all week. I will miss my baby too much, :-) Gag, right? LOL

I changed the color of my blog. I am more of a blue than pink person. Must be all the boys in my life. No, I have always liked blue more.

I got Joshua's classes for co-op next year. He got all the classes he wanted so that was cool. I started buying some school supplies. I wanted to go to Staples but never did make it. They have had 5 cent items the last few weeks. I missed this weeks. I could have used the erasers too. Oh well. Today I picked up a bunch of papermate pens. Those are JB's favorite ones. I also got 2 glue sticks for 22 cents total, a box of 24 crayons for 22 cents, and 2 pencil sharpeners for 20 cents each. A few weeks back I got like 25 notebooks that had 70 sheets each for 5 cents each. I thought that was a good deal. Oh! Staples had 2 pocket folders for 1 cent each and an 8 pack of pencils for 1 cent each. Plus they had some purell for 1 cent each. Some of it was limited on how much you could get. I got the limit and so did JM so we each spent 14 cents each! That was 10 folders, 2 -8 pack of pencils, and 2 purell's for 14 cents. Not bad huh? I love the back to school sales. Right now I am looking for a lunch box for Joshua. He wants one this year for co-op. He wants one that won't smash his sandwich, but would like it to have a water bottle thing too. Not picky is he?

Oh! Funny story! JM was delivering a pizza to a house today. The lady was about 25 ish. She asked JM if he would go to the store and buy her some pads (as in feminine hygiene products). She told him she would give him $12 to do it. JM said, "uh, I can't I am really busy at work." LOL You can imagine JM's face when she asked him. That was just too funny! She must have been desperate or something if she asked him to do it. The best part is that we get to tease him about it for a bit! AAAHHH life is good! ;-)

This blog needs to add smiley faces. I like smiley faces. Probably too much!

'Til next time...

Who needs soap operas?

I think I have said that before but it applies to my life sometimes. I always thought I had a pretty boring life, but the more I look at it there is always something happening.

Yesterday I was looking for some important papers and came across Joshua's SS card. I look at it, then look again. You aren't going to believe this, but after 11 (almost 12) years I am just noticing that have his name spelled wrong! Can you believe that? So I go to the Birth Records place downtown to get a certified birth certificate so I can take it to the SS office to have it changed. Guess what?! It is wrong on his birth certificate. According to them his name is Johsua. They have the s and h mixed up. How in the world can someone make this mistake and not catch it? I guess it must be pretty easy as I didn't catch if until now. I am glad I did find it now and not when he was 16 and wanting his license or when he was 18 or whatever. I start freaking out because I am thinking I will have to go to court and legally change his name and even then, his birth certificate would still read wrong. UGH! Well, thankfully my neighbor Kay was with me. I was crying and so upset. She was really worried about me. When we got home she made some phone calls for me to try to help me. I was just way to upset to do anything. I didn't even know where to begin. She found out that they have a name correction form that you can fill out and file and it will change the name to be correct. Of course you have to have it notarized and show two or three forms that prove you have been using that correct name instead of the other name. I think I have that taken care of, but I will look and use whatever I can find. I am hoping to get this filled out and taken care of immediately. Meanwhile, Joshua is upset because his name is wrong and fears that he will have to live with Johsua as his name. Poor kid!

The car place is supposed to have a tow truck here in the morning to get JM's car. The guy called today apologizing over and over that it has taken so long. Oh... let me back up a minute and tell you that on Saturday JB and I went to the car place in person and told the owner about it. Boy old Bobby ran out of that building fast as soon as we walked in. I think I have the little stinker afraid of me. LOL The owner said he would have someone come Monday. Well, I called Monday to remind him. He said he would get a hold of him and it would be Monday afternoon. Well no one showed up. So I asked JB to call on Tuesday but he was very busy at work and didn't have a chance to. Well this morning (Wednesday) the owner called me and apologized over and over and said someone would be here Thursday morning. Well, we shall see! Oh yes, the title will be ready by Friday. Okay... Again, we shall see. Can ya tell I am a little bit skeptical?

Seth is home from camp and had a great time helping with the kids. He can't wait to go next year. Even more exciting for him is that since he helped at the camp they are taking him and the other volunteers to Cedar Point in September! He is really excited about that. He loves that place. He came back with a nice tan too. I have never seen the kid so tan! I think he learned a lot last week helping out and I think it was a really good experience for him.

JB and I had a nice dinner last night. We went to Kent to Mike's Place. It has an X-wing out in the front of it. Those of you who have gone to Charity Baptist may have passed in on the way. The food was pretty good. But the peanut butter pie was awesome! Oh man!!! I love pb and this had a lot of pb!! YUMMY! After we ate we just came home and hung out. We were both pretty tired. After the cruise it is hard to top it I guess. ;-)

I love reading everyone's blog and keeping up with you all.

'Til next time...