Happy Day After Thanksgiving.....a.k.a...Black Friday!

How many of you have already been out this morning, braving the masses?

Not me....I was not one of the "lucky" ones that had that oppurtunity...I have to work...I am at work right now as a matter of fact...and, for the first time in two weeks...websense has not blocked my website....so, I just wanted to throw up a quick post...check in with my peeps...LOL...yeah, right...ok...If I had of had the day off today, I still would not have been out shopping...I would be home, all warm and cozy in my bed, sleeping the morning away...

How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was great...although very tiring...I cooked the night before, didn't go to bed until 2 a.m. and was back up at 6 a.m. prepping and stuffing a 25 lb Turkey. I made a ton of desserts, a ton of sides and needless to say, by the time dinner was finally on the table..around 2 p.m..I was about ready to collapse. It was worth it though, every single moment...because I had all four of my boys, my wonderful husband and his family with me....they raved over the food, everyone ate until they were about to bust....all in all....a great Thanksgiving.

I am so thankful for my life, my kids, my husband and family.....my life would not be complete without them.

To all of you...Happy (belated) Thanksgiving, Happy Holidays!

On the road to recovery.....

Hey everyone...just a quick update....Hubby is doing much better. He is on the road to recovery. He has a sleep study to be done next week, as well as a test for his gall bladder....hoping we can get to the bottom of some his problems.

As far as me..well, I had a small bout of the flu (just the regular flu) over the weekend and into this week. I didn't work out for five entire days...that should tell you how bad I felt. Today, I am much better..tired....overly so, for some reason...but, that may be due to just being run down and the added stress here at work. We are working with a skeleton crew, as 12 people from my office got laid off...thank goodness I wasn't one of them. Although, to have a vacation and collect unemployment from this place, would have been nice..the cut in pay and the waiting on the unemployment, that would not have been so nice.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner...2 weeks from today...Wow, this year has totally flew by. I am planning on cooking a traditional dinner, and my two older boys are coming up...also, invited a close friend of ours over....I will have all four of my sons together for the entire 4 day weekend....I am so excited. I am going to cook all of their favorites....play games (apples to apples), some card games, watch movies with them...although I do have to work on Black Friday...doesn't matter to me, other than I would like the time off....as far as shopping goes...I don't even want to go there....need money for that, and I don't have any...so, no point in going out with the masses on a shopping hunt for the best deals around. I will be scrambling to put any kind of Christmas under the tree as it is.....

I so look forward to next February...tax time....that is when our windfall comes in. When we can catch up on bills, put some money in savings and finally be able to breathe again.....

I would give anything to go back to school..weather it be for nursing, administration, business management or even to get certification as a personal trainer....something that would give me more motivation to get up and go into work every day....I used to be in Hospital Management...I was an Operations Manager for 8 years at a 330 bed hospital...I was over the Housekeeping/Laundry Depts....I loved that job....but circumstances and a new boss that couldn't stand me...i.e...was threatend by me, forced me to resign..and I moved with hubby to his hometown....when we first met..he was commuting 4 hours a day....was killing him..literally, he wrecked 2 cars falling asleep at the wheel...so, in his best interest, I quit my job so we could move...but, boy..do I miss it. It was a very fulfilling job...and I would so love to find another one doing the same thing.

Well...I have rambled enough for one post....lot's of work to do....at least Friday is one day away..yay! Look forward to kicking some butt at the gym, cooking for my family and relaxing with a nice bottle..or two of wine....

Love you all...

Dixie

Halloween.....

I know I am probably a little late getting some photos up of the two little guys prior to trick or treating Saturday night....Yes, I did take them. Keith went along, but stayed in the car....they had a great time. We were only out for about 45 minutes...that was enough. They got plenty of goodies, then we came home and Mom whipped up breakfast for supper...they loved it! I made them spinach/mushroom/cheese omelets, smoked sausage and cinnamon toast. Then we watched a scary movie. All in all, a perfect Halloween for them. For us too....

Aaron was a gangster, mafioso...a.k.a...Al Capone...or the Don, Don Corleone that is..From the God Father....


No..the cigar is not real..it was a prop, bought at the local Halloween Store. I told him not to get any ideas...not to even think about trying to smoke for real. I didn't want to promote to him that smoking was ok, he said he knew that it was bad for you, but he couldn't be the "GodFather" without a stogie...LOL...that kid is too much.

Maxwell was an alien....(Grandma bought the costume)...Cute, but the mask was very bothersome for him. At one point, it broke, Dad had to rig it to get him through the remainder of his trick or treating....




Ok, Halloween down..only Thanksgiving and Christmas to go....then another new year, here we go...

Streak of Bad Luck.....

Only have a second...our family has been going through a lot as of late...Hubby had a heart attack...and contracted H1N1....he was in the hospital last week. He is home now...we have a lot of upcoming Doctor's appointments....he is seeing a Doctor regarding all issues this Friday...He is doing better and I will update more when I know more....
Keep us in your prayers.

Happy Thursday.....

Hey, everyone....what's going on? I am so glad it is one more day closer to Friday.
Things have been pretty hectic for me here at work...ready for the weekend.
The kiddos go on Fall break tomorrow....through next Monday...wish I had it off as well. But, things here at work are not conducive to me taking any time off...sigh...maybe around Thanksgiving I can get an extra day or two off...Lord knows I truly need it.

I got my car fixed...it looks great! Looks like it was never wrecked....the only thing that is wrecked now is my checking account, but...we won't get into that.
I am so not ready for the Holidays...how many of you have started/finished your Christmas shopping already? Not me....bah humbug! I hate this time of year. I have covered that topic on here before, so I won't beat a dead horse....but, it is not my favorite time of the year...I go out, see the crowds of jolly/happy people, spending, shopping, preparing....with the goofy grins on their faces, singing Christmas carols, I just want to slap them....sorry, if that is one of you...no ill intent to you personally...just the "season".....

My oldest said he only wanted a coat for Christmas....that was it...A Northface brand coat....those can get pretty expensive....maybe I need to check Overstock or Ebay...that's an idea....
Second Oldest...no clue what to get him...clothes, money....something along those lines...
Third son wants a Nintendo DS....some games, some clothes.....
Little man...well, he is usually happy with anything....because he wants everything...
Hubby and I...we don't exchange gifts...so no pressure there...Christmas is for the kids so we hold off until tax refund time then we usually buy each other something...although this time around, I think we will be paying off credit cards and maybe buying some new living room furniture..

Crap...Mr. Burns just walked in, so I better get off of here....I will try to post from home this weekend.....time allowing...I have lots of pictures to post...more things to talk about....

Later....

True Dat!!!! Happy Friday Funny!!!!

Happy Friday!

Wow...can't believe I actually was able to log on and make a post. So, before I get found out and the block is put back on, thought I would take a minute to say Hi to all my bloggie friends....all two of them! I know, I deserve not to have many readers anymore...I am so far behind on every single person on my blog roll, most I will have to go back an entire year to catch up on...I suck.

No, seriously..as I always state on here...life in general, and the business of it, have pretty much put my blogging on the back burner....
My life consists of work, gym, home, kids, homework, housework, lovey time with the hubby (when I am not too exhausted) and sleep, get up...wash, rinse, repeat...

The kids are doing well in school..Max is struggling, but he is holding his own, so every night is spent reviewing what he didn't' get that day in school, studying, etc....he is in Title 1....it seems to be helping. He is slowly learning to read...he still has a problem sitting still, focusing and not talking in class....
Aaron is doing exceptionally well....and the two older boys are doing fantastic!
Tim is loving the college life, but he is finding the work load to be a very heavy....Justin, as a sophomore in high school is doing very well, making excellent grades, except in Spanish...holding a C average there. Really having to encourage him to pick up the pace with that...these days, you have to know Spanish...as it is almost as common place as English...I wish I knew it, another language of any sort would be a plus. So, I keep encouraging him that it is very important...looks good on a resume to be bi lingual.

My car should be fixed from the wreckage of a couple weeks ago, come first of next week....look forward to getting it back hopefully like new. The rental car I am driving is cute, but the cost out of pocket to drive it, not so cute...sucks that American Family Insurance does not offer car rental for accident/car repair.
Plus throw in the $500 deductible, yikes! Sucks big time.

Can you believe it is already the second week of October...where the criminy has this year gone? I am so not ready to start this whole holiday fiasco over again. I hate the holidays! Why, you ask? Money..it all boils down to money. The stress it puts on me to buy the extra food, for the holiday parties/dinners, the presents, the decorations....I can't handle it. I spend the whole month of December in tears and a nervous wreck....so, if any of you out there hit the lottery, between now and then..remember little Dixie here....share the love! LOL...just kidding..wouldn't that be grand though. To win the lottery? How many of you have ever day dreamed about that? What you would do with the money, where you would go....First thing I would do would be to quit this pain in the ass job I have.....buy a new home (modestly-nothing too exorbitant), a new car, pay off all my debt, buy my boys new cars, pay for their college educations, and travel....and share it...I would donate to charities, give large amounts to my family members and friends...I do believe in sharing the love. LOL..

Yesterday, I had my yearly exam (of the female variety) and my doctor is this older Doctor...so funny...he made my day though. Was very complimentary to me regarding my health, new obsession with running/exercise. Could not believe how much weight I had lost between last year and now. He is a runner too and was trying to talk me into signing up for the Indianapolis mini marathon...he is going to be running it. Man, would I love to! But, I seriously have to get some new shoes. I have really had to cut back on my running over the past couple of weeks. I have been having problems with my right shin/ankle and my left hamstring. I pray some rest from running and some new shoes will fix it...then who knows..maybe I can. Anyway, the doc asked me my age...I told him..39....he chuckles, my goodness...I would not have put you a day over 30.....MADE MY DAY!!! I could tell he was sincere..and I told him he was a sweetheart..and laughed my ass off!

Well...guess I better get off of here...Lot's of work to do. Renewal time (of customer contracts) at the moment...and my work load has increased ten fold. I am going to try to start catching up on all of your blogs, and leaving comments again, and answering the few I get...(sorry Sicilian).....Love you guys! Don't give up on me....Dixie will be back...maybe even with some Dancing With the Stars post.....

Blogging slump....

Without saying...I have found myself in quite a blogging slump. I am just not into it anymore. I have been thinking about shutting this blog down. Hanging up the blogging rite of passage. But...something is holding me back. I keep hoping, I guess...that I will find my groove again....then maybe I can write a book..."How Dixie got her groove back"....or something like that...haha.

So, what's been going on bloggies? I am so far behind on all of my blog favorites....since they blocked my access at work, I can admit that has been a deterrent. When I am not at work...I just don't have any time. Between work, kids/home, gym...trying to keep my hubby happy...make sure the kids are doing their homework, doing it correctly..school activities....man the list just goes on and on....

It makes me tired just thinking about it.

We celebrated my 3rd son's birthday a week and a half a go.....he turned 10...wow, hard to believe he is now a decade old. We had a cook out....with the ex (his dad) and his dad's brother, sister in law and nephews....nothing like entertaining your ex inlaws at your son's birthday party. It went ok....everyone was cordial....they gave Aaron a check for his birthday...we took that and with our birthday money for him, we went and bought him an XBOX 360....he has been stuck in the almost obsolete PlayStation 2 era for way too long. He was thrilled. It was a great cookout for him, helped him to see that his Mom/Dad could come together as friends, put forth a united front to make his birthday special. Hell, even hubby got along with everyone.
My oldest son, the college boy, drove himself and his brother (15 year old) up for the day as well. He doesn't get to see his little brothers as much, so that in itself was a present for Aaron. It was a nice day..although hectic.

Last weekend, hubby and I went away with a friend of ours for the weekend. Well, not the entire weekend. We left Saturday at noon and came back on Sunday around 1 pm...but, it was fun. For the past two weekends, I have done nothing but ran, ran, ran....exhausted is what I am. I am so looking forward to a weekend, where I have nothing to do...this weekend, will be more of the same.

My car was wrecked last Thursday night, so..I am dealing with insurance companies, claims, and body shoppes....so, Saturday I have do take my car in for repairs...to the tune of $3700. Good thing I do have insurance..although, there is that deductible..yikes! Then I have to pick up a rental car. It will take them most of next week to get it fixed. 15 year old has a football game on Saturday morning, in Indianapolis, at Lawrence North High School...I am going to try and make that. Then he will come home with me afterwards, and Sunday, I will have to drive him back to Terre Haute...No rest for this weary soul.

On top of all of that..I am still kicking butt and taking names at the gym and with my running. Got some new shoes, just about have them broken in, so my hammy is not bothering me as much. I have achieved my new P.R. for my 5k time....27 minutes 40 seconds....I am loving this running thing. Hoping to get my weekly mile average to somewhere around 25 to 30 miles per week. Gradually, run further, increase my mileage. A few weeks ago, I ran my longest...12 miles! Haven't been able to replicate or exceed that...but, I am working on it. Don't know what happened that day....all the runners starts aligned correctly or something I guess. I do know that proper fuel, before a run is necessary....a pack of GU gel about half way through helps a lot as well.

Well, thanks for reading...those of you out there that still give a shit.

OH...wait....Dancing With the Stars is back....I am sure you all know that, as last night was the second vote off.....I am pulling for Kelly Osborne or Donny Osmond....those are my two top picks to win this season...What say you?

Later..gators.

Wow...It's been a while....

Life has gotten the best of me....so much has been going on..with work, at home...with my kids...Blogging as been put on the back burner...not that it matters much, no one comes around here anymore anyway..

So, what has been going on the past couple weeks? I had a great mini vacation..well, some what...my hubby's grandmother past away...we buried her Tuesday 2 weeks ago today.

I pulled my hamstring 2 days before I was supposed to race my 5k, so I had to pull out of that.
Then, the following week, I went to the gym and ran 12 miles...on the treadmill...the next day, I walked like an old woman, I seriously felt I needed a cane.

We celebrated my 3rd sons 10th birthday on Sunday.

Then, I got sick....missed work yesterday.

Of course, the silent treatment is given to me today. It is the biggest sin of all to call off work from this freaking place!

Oh, well....the worse they can do at the moment is write me up. Which I expect. Would not be the least bit surprised if they don't. I am not perfect like some of the ass kissers that work here.

Hope you all have a great week!
I really have nothing more to say...

Busy Little Bee..Yep, That's Me....

Been swamped here at work today. Twice the normal amount of work to do, because I go on a mini vacation from this place starting tomorrow. Yay! I don't have any plans to go anywhere, but a break from here, is enough. I plan to hit the gym, get in a few runs, relax, just spend time with the family over this Labor Day weekend. Maybe throw a cookout and a family reunion with the hubby's dad's side of the family in on Sunday.

Went for a 4.50 mile run last night...Going for another 5 mile tonight, which will put my mileage thus far at 15 miles for the week. I am aiming for 25 total, so we will see.

Hope you all have a great remainder of the week and a terrific Labor Day weekend.