Talk about Convenience!

Along the road I often take into town, a new convenience mart advertises its upcoming opening.

Every time I drive by, I wonder about the goats.

It doesn't have a name yet, but "Gas N Goats" has a nice ring to it. "Gass y Goats" would be good, if the owners want to do it in Spanglish.

"Maybe Goats"? I just don't see a lot of traffic coming in for the goats. Then again, I'm still new around here. If Sam's Club can sell mattresses, trampolines, groceries, fishing boats, and health/beauty products, maybe there is a market for a gas/convenience/livestock mart.

Is IBM Imploding?

Last week my BFF and former coworker phoned me. "Guess what happened."

"So, what happened."

"What's the worst thing that could happen to me."

"Again?!"

Despite announcing better than expected earnings, IBM is having yet another resource action!

Laurisa had been laid off with me last quarter, but thanks to a super-human effort, she managed to squeak into a job at the absolute last minute. Now, her new department is part of the resource action--the whole group. She gets to go through the whole process again.

I'm learning this round is even bigger than before (rumors have it as high as 16k people, but I can't imagine it to be true); it feels like a war zone where I hear names of friends that have been hit. Most of my friends that lost jobs last fall haven't found new ones yet. I'm sick thinking about the many more who are adding to the highly talented job pool, not to mention how rough it is on the people who are left, happy to have a job, but overwhelmed by the workload and mourning their former coworkers.

I've spent these past few days thinking how very grateful I am that my husband has a steady job and that I don't have to go out and try to find something in this economy.

Fast Food

With James out of the country, my only incentive for creative cooking (okay, for cooking at all) is gone. With my girls, there's an inverse ratio between the amount of effort put into a meal and the amount it will be eaten and appreciated. Macaroni and cheese from the blue box--no leftovers and a round of compliments. Beef curry stew with sticky rice--a meal with at least two encores, and scores of complaints.

Since Friday night is supposed to be date night around here (and I just don't feel like cooking), I let the girls pick where we go for dinner. Luckily, Moe's wins over Micky-D's this time. If we can leave around 6:00, we'll beat the dinner crowd.

Unfortunately, I get bogged down with IM'ing and phoning work friends due to yet another round of IBM layoffs and lose track of time. At 6:15, I call out, "Let's go to Moe's!" At 6:20, Doodle can't find her shoes, Louie can't find her coat, and CeCee insists she doesn't need to wear a coat and is on the verge of a tantrum because I won't let her come without one. At 6:30, we pull out of the garage.

At 6:44, after dodging a bale of hay in the middle of the road, one possum, three deer, and a black dog that I slam the brakes to miss (sending my purse flying off the seat and its contents all over the floor), we arrive at Moe's. As I put everything back in my purse, I realize that my wallet with my cash and credit cards is sitting back home on the kitchen counter! I explain that I don't have any money and we'll have to go home, and suggest I make quesadillas instead. The crew insist on Moe's, we turn back, and for the next fifteen minutes I get suggestions from Doodle and CeCee about how I should never take my wallet out of my purse, how I should get a leash for my wallet, perhaps use an old shoelace to tie it on, or a stapler to attach it to the purse. The conversation would be amusing, except that they want me to answer them every so often, and I'm steamed that this "easier than cooking" night out has become "not so easy". At least I don't have to dodge anything except the hay bale on the way back.

At 7:08, we arrive at Moe's again, with the wallet. Louie is fast asleep. I carry her in, lay her down at a booth, and she wakes up. I warn CeCee and Doodle that any fighting will mean we go home for dinner, and get into the long line.

As I peruse the menu on the wall, I hear them fighting already. I get out of line for damage control. They're fighting over who gets to sit by me. I'm so touched, I want to leave. I remind them not so gently, "Fighting means we go home. Let's get back into the car."

"No, we want to eat here!" they cry. "We'll be good." They're tired, they're hungry, it's 7:15. I really should've cooked dinner. I get back to the end of the line.

Luckily, the line moves fast. Amazingly, their mood improves. I bring one Joey Bag of Donuts (burrito) and three Mini Masterpieces (kiddy quesadilla meals) to the booth and they're making silly jokes. Louie eats EVERYTHING--she really was starving. CeCee eats three bites of her quesadilla and declares that she's full, except that she wants two refills of Sprite, and maybe she'll eat some chips and salsa (as in all her chips and salsa), but she's much to full to finish her quesadilla so she can have dessert. She gives me her cookie. Doodle takes a full thirty minutes to eat her meal, methodically dipping everything into sour cream and salsa.

As we're finishing up, a gentleman stops by and declares, "This is the Princess Booth! You have Three beautiful princesses. How wonderful! I bet they're a handful, too, sometimes."

They're smiling angelically at him, and giggling that he called them princesses. "Well, that depends on the night," I answer.

I'm Back

Okay, so life bogged me down and I got out of the blogging habit. I'm starting up again; I plan to fill in a few blanks for December, so if you see "old" entries pop up that weren't there before, you'll understand.

Here's a quick summary of life between November and now. We went to Utah for a long Christmas holiday with little time/access to the internet. On our return, I had tons of laundry and cleaning up to do. I told myself that I couldn't blog until I caught up with life. I received a church assignment (or calling, as we call it) to serve in the Young Women's youth group for the 14 and 15 year olds. James flew to Tonga, where he's cruising around and dropping seismometers between Tonga and Fiji, to return in mid-March.

In talking with some friends they said they noticed that my blog is getting stale. I'm flattered that someone is actually reading this, so I suppose I should make it a site worth checking again.

Frozen Pond

About the only nice thing I can say about the cold spell we've had is that the pond is finally frozen enough to walk on. Our Canadian neighbors are hockey fans and they went out to explore the ice today, and play a little hockey. Of course, as soon as the girls saw their friend outside, they had to bundle up and join him.

Photos from St Charles Santa Parade

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is spending a December Saturday in St Charles MO. It's officially called "Christmas Traditions" but we call it the Santa Parade, as it's easier to explain. Basically, Christmas characters from different parts of the world roam the streets, passing out trading cards, and posing for photos. Then, there's a parade and performance later in the afternoon. Here are a few photos of our fun day. More are posted on Facebook.

Lights Fantastic

Here are photos from Carbondale's annual Lights Fantastic Parade. It was a bitterly cold night--we'll be better prepared next year.

More Thanksgiving Weekend Fun

We're enjoying our time away from our normal routine at Trout Lodge. Sadly, we leave tomorrow.

We started Thanksgiving Day with pony rides for the girls. CeCee and Doodle are already plotting their first trail ride once they turn seven.

Later, Princess the Clown visited the lodge for more face painting.

Dinner was the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauces, rolls, and pumpkin pie. Each table had our own spread, and they even gave me ziplock freezer bags to take home the leftovers. (Yes, how I love leftover turkey sandwiches!)

This morning, we went to Mrs. Claus' tea party, and of course Santa visited us. These pics are just the highlights; you can find more on my Facebook album.