Spectacular Flint Hills Sunset

Yesterday we headed to Paxico to visit some good friends. On our way back from town, the sunset was beautiful. In a matter of a few minutes we almost missed our chance to get a photo.

The guys went to the gun show while the boys and I picked up some things we needed and then headed over to Scott's dads to drop off something for him. We then headed out to Paxico for a BBQ supper, we let the guys cook, and then watched a movie. I had woke up with a horrible headache yesterday morning so I was glad to be back home after a long day.

Horrible, Rotten, Bad Day.....

Today was just one of those days. I felt a little"funny" when I woke up this morning, not sick, just like I was off balance, and then day went down from there. Cloudy, wet, cold, kids arguing, kids arguing with me, rude people, rush orders, and no caffeine.

For those of you who own your own business, you may understand exactly where I am coming from. Some days are worse than others, but today was rotten. I can remember back to shorty after I moved here, going out in public, seeing people stare, give nasty glances, and so on and so forth. And not all are like this, some are very friendly and have become great friends. And I remember when I first opened my shop, thinking no matter who gives me a dirty look, to always be polite since you never know who may be a potential customer and living in a small town it is often likely. And that is a philosophy I try to live by. I have slipped a time or two, but most anyone who knows me knows I am not a complainer, I just keep my thoughts to myself and go about my day. But today is different!!!

I know sometimes orders get messed up, some take longer than others, and some have just plain been lost. And then there are those that are finished way ahead of schedule or end up better than one had thought. Believe me, I do my best and I know that isn't always good enough, however that is how it is. And I also realize some jobs are just doomed from the get go. And lately that is happening more and more. Salesmen not returning my calls, problems with the merchandise, lost shipments, out of stock items, and the list goes on and on and on. And I think what frustrates me the most is even though I may only give myself a few days to complete the order and when my shipment is lost, I don't take it out on the UPS guy, or my supplier, or anyone else. I know it is just a glitch, even though it happens a lot lately, and that being mad and taking it out on someone else won't do a damn bit of good. And not only do these things put me behind, but they also put my orders behind. And so for those of you that have came in and smiled even though a was late or something came up and I had to be gone for the day...Thank You. Thank you for your patience, your kindness, and your understanding. Believe me, if it were as simple as taking an order and putting it out 2 days later, I would be in heaven. Some days the phone rings constantly, or a lot of customers come in and other days the phone doesn't ring at all. These are all little things that add up and can make my job stressful.

I hate the cold, and the rain, and this time of year I just plain hate. I just can't seem to get warm no matter how many sweatshirts, coats, shirts I put on, I am always cold. And then kids who think I should just get them whatever it is they want, or let them wear their good shoes and clothes for play, arguing over who gets to sit in front, what we have for supper, why they have to go to bed when they do, cleaning up after themselves, and on and on and on.

And to top it all off, salesmen keep calling even though we are on a no call list!!!!!

I think I may need a VACATION!!!!!!!

Party Pics

The first is of Nate with his cake I made him, then Maddy looking into the sharks mouth and last Grandma with Little X and Maddy sneakin in the back. Despite the weather outside, we were all nice and warm inside. It's days like the

I may be living at the Funny Farm!

I am not sure if I am developing a new sense of humor on life or if I have just been missing out, but I am beginning to see things a little differently. B asked me the other day about cantaloupe. I told him they can be grown in a garden and he used to love them!! He then responded to how gross, I am never eating them. So when I asked him why he said cuz they have to cut off the antlers first. What??? He was thinking of "antelope" and so then we went into the difference and what a difference there is. Some days I just have to laugh and wonder if he is really my child or if he was switched at birth. Joking!!
And then there is Nate. I had called him last week to wish him a Happy Birthday and now that he is a teenager I asked him if he felt any older or if it was just another day. And he said "ya, a little." My response being really? "My voice has been changing" Really? "Well just since the last 2 days." I tried so hard not to laugh on the phone, but as soon as I got off, I laughed and laughed and for a few days afterwards, I was still laughing at the thought of it. Boys!!!
And to top it off, some days I have the funniest husband ever. A few weeks ago we were at my moms going through things and Scott would NOT eat the pork loin she had cooked. I ate it, I was fine and let me tell you it was good!! Anyone who knows my husband knows he is paranoid about germs, and getting sick and such, so he asked mom if she had anything else to eat because he didn't want to eat the pork in fear of swine flu. So she made him some shredded BBQ Meat and he ate several sandwiches, it must had been pretty good. And even though we all assured him he couldn't get the swine flu from eating the pork, he wouldn't touch it. However, mom forgot to mention the BBQ meat she was feeding him was Pork not Beef!! And then to watch him on the computer. He has taken an interest in learning and getting on himself, which I love, but wish he would use the other computer, not mine. I usually just sit back and watch and try and let him figure it out for himself, keeping one eye on him at all times just so he doesn't mess anything up, but he still has trouble. One night last week, he wanted me to do something for him so I just told him what to do, but he was persistent that I do it. B was sitting here and said I'll do it dad, and Scott was in no way gonna let B touch it, but B was also persistent that he know what it was he needed to do, so I said "just let B help you, he knows what he is doing", and sure enough, B accomplished the task. I have to laugh, it is kinda funny to watch your 9 year old son, showing his dad the way around on the computer. Or yesterday, we had to go get shelving for my office, it is a disaster without ample space to store things and no closet to hide it all in. We went to get Scott a pair of shoes, he needed them and I had a coupon, and he picks up the shoe he normally wears and puts it back stating that they were made in China. And so then he goes around from shoe to shoe looking at the tags to find a shoe made in the US. Normally I would probably be embarrassed as people were standing around watching him fuss, but you have to remember I have been with him for almost 9 years, and I have seen worse!! I agree we should support American Made products but it was all too funny watching him, knowing there isn't a shoe made in the Us, at least not to my knowledge. I must say it is nice to have a good laugh every once in awhile. Have I mentioned I love these guys!!!

Life of a teenager, Oh my!!

Can it really be true??? It seems as though we were just celebrating a 5th Birthday for a freckled little boy on a shiny new bicycle. And now he is 13, officially a teenager!!!! It still amazes me how fast time passes and that those sweet little boys are growing up in front of my very eyes. And with each year comes new challenges and some relief. So we will just sit back and see what the life of a teenager has in store for us.

Happy Birthday Nathaniel:)

Loss of words

I have been putting this post off for a few days now, and I am still at a loss of words. What should be such a happy time for us only seems to leave me with a clouded mind. Memories flood my thoughts and the reminder of what is missing becomes more of a reality every year. The words "it gets easier with time" are just a way of one trying to make us feel better or give us a glimpse of hope to hang onto when in fact the more time that passes the harder it seems to deal with and the fact that once again we are facing the reality of something that will never be the same again. There is never a day that goes by that I don't think of him, his smile, his laugh, the way he always called B "Butch", how he almost always answered the phone if I called before 7, or how you could guarantee if you called much later he would be snoring in the background. How he would get on the boys for being rowdy, and how he was always looking for the "what's gonna happen, who's gonna get hurt" whenever all the kids were together. How he would let B help him combine, or how he hugged little D with all he had for the last time. It seems that reality is only emphasized with the setting of fall and how all things around us are slowly fading away as soon it will be winter. It is just a dreary reminder of the passing of time...time that can't heal, time that can only leave us to remember and cherish the times we once had.


Rest in Peace...we love and miss you XOXOXOXOXOXOXO