Hey look....a money forest!

On a rare occasion my loving husband, who has been working a ridiculous number of hours lately TO INCLUDE ALL DAY CHRISTMAS DAY, has the luxury of going in to work at 2 p.m.  So, with his 1 1/2 hour commute, that means he can actually eat breakfast with his family and leave the house at 12:30 instead of 4:30 a.m.!  AND....he's cooking breakfast to boot!  BONUS! 

Anyhoo....I digress.....so while our precious baby daughter is slowly waking up by watching cartoons on the couch and our son, who is a "mini-me" of his father is still sleeping, the hubster and I are taking advantage of some much needed one-on-one to TALK WITHOUT INTERRUPTION!  Now, anyone with kids will totally understand what I'm saying!  So during the course of our conversation I was sharing with him that I had picked up the photo disk from our good friend, Cindy South, containing the Christmas pictures of the kids and Addie Kate's 4-year-old pictures.  Just as I was educating my loving husband on my new venture, of making a delightful photo book in lieu of printing out tons of different sizes and buying numerous frames with nowhere to hang them....he suddenly interrupts me.  He grabs me by the shoulders and turns me toward the back yard, which we've endearingly renamed "Afghanistan" in honor of all of the holes our dogs have dug...the then says, "Don't worry honey, Look!" and I excitedly start searching the vast wasteland out our back doors.  "We've got a money forest growing in the backyard!"    KNOTHEAD!  This is why I'm married to him....he keeps me laughing!  I love my hubby! ;o)



Can't be serious for one second !!!



What it's all about....

I have been absolutely desperate to get all of the Christmas presents for my kids wrapped and under the tree.  One downside of homeschooling is that your kids are with you....ALL OF THE TIME !  So, there is no "me" time to get critical things done, like wrapping gifts for Christmas!  So, Granny Janny to the rescue and over she comes to pick them up.  Four and a half hours later, as I'm "wrapping things up", pardon the pun, I'm exhausted and wondering how in the world we've actually pulled this off without going into major debt.  I jump into the trusty mini-van and head over to pick up my kiddos.  Since I've spent a good part of my day pre-occupied with this chore, my husband decides that he will meet us for supper ( thank you Lord for the little things! ) and we decide to meet at Firehouse Subs.  During our meal, Frank tells me that they are working Christmas Day.  I knew this might happen as he gave me the "heads up" a couple of days ago.  I was hoping, or shall I say PRAYING really, REALLY HARD that it wouldn't happen....but it did. 

So, my M.O. when things don't go exactly how I want them to go?  Publix Strudel ! 

And conveniently enough, we were right next to Publix at the time.  So after supper, I bee bop on over and pick myself up a strudel and the kids pick up two half gallons of ice cream ( they are two for one, whoo hoo ! ) and we head home.  Where am I going with this story?  Here it is....My sweet little 8-year-old boy couldn't contain himself trying to get into the house to see all of the packages under the tree!  He immediately started counting, picking up and shaking all of the beautifully wrapped gifts bearing his name.  To see Christmas through the eyes of this blessing from God, this child He's entrusted to us to love, nurture, raise, teach and yes spoil just a little...is our little piece of heaven right here on earth!  I love my life !

Pre-Santa!  We are so blessed!

My cup runneth over !

Yesterday, my precious daughter was in her room playing with her brand new Polly Pockets that Aunt Robin sent her as a surprise!  She walked out of the room, only for a second and wouldn't you know....LILLY STRIKES AGAIN!!!  Before I know it, down the hall comes my Addie Kate, wailing at the top of her lungs....her brand new Polly Pocket now has NO LEGS! 

It really is a shame that we can't leave something unattended for even a moment without it being destroyed....but here's the beauty of the moment.  My son jumps up from his spot on the couch, where he was very engaged in watching a football game, runs to the back of the house and comes back with $10 of his own money.  He gives his little sister a great big hug, dries her tears and hands her the money telling her, " It's going to be okay;  you can buy another Polly Pocket with this money!" 

Sometimes he astounds me!  There are moments when this little man-child of mine can be the epitome of greed...I mean like Donald Trump greed...then other times he's Mother Teresa, reaching out to comfort and give of himself for others. 

My cup runneth over at that moment, when my son stepped up to the plate, took charge and comforted his little sister....giving freely of himself AND  of something so important as his very own money to heal her broken heart!  He put a smile on her little face that day, but he did much, much more for me.....he put a smile on my soul!

My precious Gifts from God !

A day with Granny & Pa Paw.

Granny and PaPaw just returned from a ten-day cruise where they visited several Ports of Call to include the Panama Canal, Aruba and Argentina.  This is the first Saturday of their return and they are on their way over to pick up the kids to spend the day with them.  Their plans?  Lunch and a movie, no doubt filled with a lot of laughter and memory making moments. 

Since my Jagger Reese is old enough to get ready on his own, I'm busily getting Addie Kate ready when she decides that she wants "Little Addie", her monkey to go with her.  So, now ..not only do I have to dress my daughter and fix her hair, but I also have a monkey to dress (complete with three hairbows) in her Sunday Best since "Little Addie" the monkey hasn't seen Granny and PaPaw in two weeks either!  So, while I'm getting "the girls" ready my daughter subtly asks me, "Are you going to take me to da movie theatre?"   "No," I reply, "Granny and PaPaw are coming here to pick you up."  She immediately gets this pained look on her little face and says to me, "I don't wanna ride in Granny's car, it gives me a tummy ache."  Now, for those of you who are unaware, Granny is the owner of a top-of-the-line Lexus and Mommy drives.....a Honda Mini-Van !  Now.....not sure where my daughter got her taste in cars or where her "simplicity" comes from, but.....to her future husband

......."You're Welcome !"



Addie Kate, Little Addie & Jagger



Praise God for "Happy Pills" !!!

I've got lots to do today so I tell my sweet son to go take a shower because we've got errands to run.  A few minutes later he comes out of the bathroom, MY bathroom because Heaven forbid he bathe in his OWN shower.  I think this is because for the first several years of his life we shared a bathroom as we had no master bedroom or bath in our home so he's conditioned to use ours....LUCKY US !  Anyhoo...I digress....so he comes bolting down the hall, in ALL HIS GLORY if you know what I mean, and launches into this lengthy explanation of which I will try to repeat verbatim here.....

Jagger:  "Mom!  I was trying to open...well when I turned on the water...the shower door...I tried...the door ...it...well it...when I tried to open...."

Me:  "Did you break the door Jagger?"

Jagger:  "NO...I DID NOT BREAK THE DOOR!  When I tried to open...you know when you slide it...how it, you know slides.....it was trying to not open and ......"

Me: "Jagger, did you break the shower door?"

Jagger:  "No Mom!  I DID NOT BREAK THE DOOR !  I PROMISE!"

Me:  "Jagger....Is the shower door broken?"

Jagger:  "Yes!"

There you have it!  No wonder I'm medicated! lol

The cute factor....it's saved him more than once !!!

Just got some pics back from our photo session with Cindy.  She does such a great job for us.  This year my Addie Kate actually decided to cooperate.  It was sooo cute.  She kept blinking because the flash would bother her eyes, so Cindy had to keep retaking pics.  So Addie Kate decided that now she's just going to keep her eyes WIDE open for all of her pics.  It's pretty funny, now we have to retake them cause she looks "zombiesque"! 

Love me some Kaye Kaye !

Lilly the Alarm Clock...

So another quiet morning in the Golden household as I'm relaxing at my computer, catching up on the Yahoo news and drinking a cup o' joe. I'm sitting here thinking of the frigid temperatures here today, it's 27 degrees right now for the Love of Nancy.....in FLORIDA!!! Anyhoo, I digress...sitting here I'm recounting the past year and how it's flown by. I can't believe it's December already! I've got tons of gifts yet to wrap and no "me" time to do it. In the quiet of the morning, I'm mentally going through my list of gifts yet to finish up or I need to buy and I remember that one of my New Year's Resolutions is to get my children on a schedule!!! That means ALARM CLOCKS! Yikes! I forgot to buy alarm clocks for their Christmas gifts! Then in the distance of the west wing, yup our house is THAT BIG, I hear, you guessed it....Lilly! Barking her head off. I go to investigate to see what she's barking at and what do I find? She's barking at Jagger. Evidently 6:45 a.m. is late enough! She's ready for him to "wake up" and play with her! Okay....not gonna waste the money on alarm clocks now. Got my trusty mixed breed to do the job for me! Good dog Lilly....good dog!




Lilly has waited long enough !!!!

 

My son...the wise guy !

Rushing in from eating out with Frank's parents tonight, I'm giving my dear son instructions on washing his hair.  He never washes all of the goop out to my satisfaction and we have to hurry to get to church tonight so that he can perform in the Christmas program with the Children's Choir.  So I tell him, "Wash your hair twice, WITH SHAMPOO!  Scrub it really, really good and get all the goop out so that I can put more in!"  My son stands there with this blank look on his face and finally says to me, "Yeah...that just sounds ridiculous!"  I love that boy!  He doesn't let me get away with anything!!!! LML !!!!

Sawin' logs !

For anyone who knows ANYTHING about the Golden Clan, you know our sleeping arrangements are a bit, well.....unconventional.  Long story short...I can't sleep in the bed with my husband because he could single handily take down 50 acres a night by himself sawing logs.  So, of late, he's been sleeping in Jagger's room with him, so that we can get Addie Kate back on her schedule, you know, sleeping in her big girl bed all by herself!  So....I've been livin' large....feeling much like royalty with my luxurious bed complete with brand new jumbo chenille body pillow (courtesy of Sam's club for $12.97 WHOO HOO !) ALL TO MYSELF!!!  So....this morning my precious son comes out of his room and immediately lodges into a play by play of all of the various "endearing" sounds his sweet father makes in his sleep.  Then there is an awkward...shall I say pause...."Yep", Jagger says, "He's moving back in with you!"  I love my life !!!!!



Jagger and his wit !  He kills me !



How spoiled is spoiled ???

This a.m. Addie Kate and I had an "EXTENSIVE" conversation, of which I got on Flip Video, wherein my precious baby girl lodged her complaints about our Lilly chewing up the cat toys and her Polly Pockets.  She was complaining that she only had "two" Polly Pockets and I could swear that a child as "Blessed" or shall I say "spoiled" as mine would certainly have more than two Polly Pockets.  After all, they are cheap little plastic dolls with plastic clothes that you can purchase by the gross for what.....$5 ????  Anyhoo, she kept insisting, albeit with a suspicious smile on her face which lead me to believe she was fibbing, that she only had two Polly Pockets.  So I continued filming and followed her back to her room to count her bucket of Polly Pockets.  Low and behold, my Precious Punkie Poodle Pie was not fibbing, but telling the truth!  Bless her pointy little head!  She is soooo deprived!  In her huge pink bucket, complete with the Polly Pocket Deluxe Swimming Pool and Patio Set AND RV complete with Chandelier, 52" drop down flat screen television, and BBQ grill,  there were indeed ONLY TWO POLLY POCKETS!  Well, all of this investigation made her VERY hungry and she immediately requested her "Yucky Charms".  Now I'm not sure why anyone would want "Yucky Charms" but it is her "cer-wal" of choice....sooo after horking down two bowls, I took this picture of my little angel with milk on her cute little button nose!  Have I  mentioned I love this girl ?????



My Princess Punkie Poodle Pie !