tlc's Random Life

I can say that our Christmas was a bit on the crazy side because well not everyone spends their Christmas holiday in the hospital.  But the blessed part is that we were with dad and he is still with us.  Yes it has been quite the ordeal, having spent so much time there.  But looking at how much different it could have been I am just glad we have him still with us to be able to celebrate. The setting might have been less than perfect, but the girls all got tons of stuff  and we had some pretty good food.  Brittnie made chili and corn bread for us all & let me just say my baby girl did pretty darn well.  She never wants to cook anything (not even something from a box)  So for her to make chili from scratch well it just makes my heart happy.  Dad looks great and is home (at Dave & Nae's) resting.  He got to go home the day after Christmas and so now I guess you can say we all got what we wanted f...

Ugh...I can not even begin to tell you how many times this past week that phrase has come out of my mouth.  Sometimes more than once to someone about the same thing.  I don't want everyone to think I am just not paying attention or that I don't care because it is quite the opposite.  My problem is that I care too much and then I tend to think too much and well my head gets so full of all that mess that I don't listen well to what is going on around me.  I am not sure how I have made it this being my 4th day at work without royally screwing up.  So what is all that mess inside my head.  Questions, worry, love, fear, anger, happiness...you name it, its in there all of it swimming around clouding most rational though.  My kids and husband seem to be suffering from my mood swings most.  I'm happy joking and having a blast one minute and mad and angry the next(mostly because I am just tired)  I try to apologize but i fear they hear empty words....

I know it's nuts, and maybe my dad doesn't want to spend much time reflecting (or me sharing it with you) on this time in his life when he had to spend all this time in the hospital, but me I want to remember it.  All of it.  I kinda wonder why, why would I want to take so much time remembering all the little things about his stay but then I think...because if it weren't for him and his stay at the hospital bringing us all (the 11 of us) back together as a family it could have been something much worse bringing us back together.  So I am doing what I can to make the most of it for my girls and for dad. Trying to make it a better memory better than the time he could have died, but a time in his own way he brought his family back to the tight little unit they should be. I want to take a minute and rewind...about 5-6 months ago.  July to be exact.  We were all hanging out for the big firework/birthday party that happens every year, everyo...

 I tried to warn you that I had so much to tell you... So We have been spending so much time at the hospital with my dad.  I mean we were all there for several days (now we are taking turns-he's doing well and we had to go back to work).  And you know how it is everyone brings something to keep them busy so that they can ward off boredom.  Well Val had been using one of those round loom things that you can knit hats and such.  She had made herself one and while there her knitting caught the attention of one of my nieces (Katie) and she wanted to know how to make one for herself.  So Val being excited to show someone sat down with her and gave her the loom and some yarn and helped her along.  That girl made her whole hat.  She loves it and wears it everywhere already.  Before we knew it Haleigh was in on learning to make hats.  They were having such a good time knitting away while visiting with their papa and all his company.  ...

Its crazy how quickly one can go from having the best Christmas season to having a not so great season.  I posted last that my Christmas spirit was at a new high.  That I had all these awesome plans to finish up shopping and spend the rest of the days before Christmas just baking and having a great time.  Well as usual, nothing ever really goes the way it should... I was sleeping quite well last Wednesday night only one more day of work before 5 off in a row.  I had huge plans to spend all that time with my girls and Stephen, maybe drive over and spend some time with mom and dad at their new "lake house" (aka their 5th wheel in an RV park on the lake)  They love it there and I haven't really gotten to see it in the daylight.  As it is always dark when Ive been to pick up Val & Britt.  Anyway...Sleeping pretty good when my phone started ringing, in the middle of the night (12:21 to be exact)  My phone never rings at that time of night unless...

 Even October the cat is showin' his Christmas spirit   :)  It seems like it has been a few years since I last felt the Christmas spirit in my heart.  I'm sure it stems from losing the rock of our family (in both my family and Stephens family)  I had always heard people say that when the mother of the family passes the the family just falls apart.  I have now lived that in both of our families and I firmly believe it to be true. Now my family does try to do a huge Christmas dinner and such but with everyone going here and there to see all the in laws (& outlaws) we very seldom are ever all together at the same place at the same time.   And our family has multiplied so much that we stopped giving individual gifts a long time ago, relying on a version of the dirty Santa gift swap game.  I don't know about you but I like to give gifts.  They don't have to be crazy expensive gifts but I enjoy the though process that goes ...

I guess that is what some people call it when a guy nearing (ever so close to) 40 goes out and buys himself a shiny new (or not so new) motorcycle.  However that thought never really crossed my mind when Stephen asked to buy one off a guy he works with.  I wasn't thrilled with the idea, not because I thought he was having a midlife crisis, but because I thought there were plenty of other things we could spend our money on.  I said no.  We always talk about big purchases and agree when or if we spend the money.  I was sure this thought was settled and we would not be the owners of a motorcycle anytime soon.  Stephen had other ideas... Stephens toy He made the decision to get the bike (it really was a good price, I guess) and well now we are that crazy old couple that rides around on a motorcycle every chance at nice weather we get. Here is a bit of history...My dad had a Honda gold wing when we were little (I was like 13)  he and my mom wou...