He's gone again and Happy Holidays!

After staying with us for 5 weeks, our son has moved into his own place. I didn't post updates, but he was busy the entire time he stayed with us and kept me really busy, too! He looked for jobs, he enrolled in school, he shopped for apartments and he did his Christmas shopping.

It was a lot of fun looking at apartments with him and shopping for new stuff for his home. He did have a fully furnished apartment when he was in the Army and put his stuff in storage when he deployed to Afghanistan. Then his storeroom was robbed! Stupid people! They did go to jail for it, but he never got his stuff back, so he only had what he had in his barracks when he got back from deployment. So we shopped...and it was fun. He is a good bargain shopper and was so thankful for everything we got for him.

Last week, Hubby and my MIL helped him move his stuff into his new place. I have not seen it yet, but will when I am invited. I don't invite myself anywhere. I have texted with him a few times and he is doing fine. He found a job that is not the one he was hoping for, but will work around his class schedule. He had several options and decided if the job he wanted the most didn't call, then it meant he was supposed to go to school, so that is his plan now. The GI Bill will pay for school, plus give him a living stipend, so he should manage fine with that and his little job he took.

Hubby and I are ready for Christmas! I was really behind in the jam making and baking area, so made jam and baked bread this weekend. Tomorrow is our family get together and Christmas Day will just be Hubby and me. I am also off on Thursday. So work today, off 3 days, work Friday, off 3 days. I could get used to this schedule. LOL!

Hope everyone is excited about Christmas!

Check it out! Google made my tree twinkle!

Take that, CVS!

For the last couple of years, I have been using CVS brand gentle facial cleansing wash. On the bottle is says "Compare to Purpose", so I figured it was the same as Purpose. It was oil and soap free and I really liked how it made my skin feel.

Recently, I was getting low, so decided to get a new bottle, so I would not run out. Well, thank you very much, CVS. Apparently, I was the only one that liked the facial cleanser as you no longer carry it. Ugh! So, I have been looking for a replacement cleanser. Oh, sure, I COULD pay $9.99 for a bottle of Purpose, but I just don't want to. So, I have been looking.

Then, last weekend, I was at Aldi and looked at the HBA endcap...yes, it is just an endcap at my store.....and there was a bottle of Lacura facial cleanser.I had read good things about Lacura products so thought I would try a bottle. Heck, it was only $2.49. If I didn't like it on my face, I could use it as body wash, or to hand wash something.

I think mine had a green top though. I don't know now, as I put in in a pump bottle I had so I could just pump it instead of picking it up and squeezing. No, not lazy...just like the amount the pump bottle gives me.

So take that CVS, I don't have to buy more expensive facial cleanser. I will just buy it from Aldi.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Are you playing bongos naked?

I thought I would share with you my most excellent Thanksgiving holiday. Wednesday, our office closed early, so I got home around 2:30. It was excellent!

Thursday, we went to see "Dallas Buyers Club" an excellent movie, starring Matthew McConoughey. Though it definitely was not a "feel good" movie, it was a GOOD movie. Then we went to eat at a local "country cooking" restaurant. It was just Hubby, Chance and me. The food was excellent and the company better. We did not eat "Thanksgiving food" as we expected to have that on Saturday. Then we came home and the boys watched football games while I played on the computer and watched some tv. It was really nice.

We thought we were to have the family get together on Saturday, so I planned to cook a broccoli casserole, deviled eggs and pumpkin pie for that. Then I was going to cook more on Sunday to fill in leftovers, so had a turkey breast thawing. BUT, the girls messaged Chance that the Saturday get together was off as Hubby's mom was going to have Meredith's boys and it would be too much for her. Yes, my sorta son-in-law called Hubby's mom and asked if she would take them Saturday so he could "study" and she could not tell him she had plans, so she just cancelled her plans. Yep, she cancelled the family Thanksgiving dinner so she could babysit. I would have been happy to cook dinner and carry  it over there, but didn't even suggest it. Sometimes she drives me crazy in that she will cancel plans at the last minute. Oh, well, her loss.

So I said I would just cook here on Saturday. Chance let the girls know and Samantha said she'd be here. Meredith said she was "all Thanksgivinged out". Whatever. LOL! More food for us!

Friday, Chance and I went running around looking at apartments, he took me to lunch and then we went to Big Lots. Yes on Black Friday and it wasn't too bad. He wanted to do some Christmas shopping for Jacob and BL had a nice set of cookware on sale. So he got some shopping done, bought a set of cookware and a set of dishes. While we were gone, Hubby made cornbread for my dressing, boiled eggs and baked a pumpkin pie.

Saturday I cooked a turkey breast, dressing, broccoli cheese casserole, sweet potato casserole, deviled eggs, crescent rolls and gravy and Bob made mashed potatoes. Chance got a message FRIDAY night from his ex, responding to Chance's message from last MONDAY, that he could pick our grandson, Jacob, up for the day on Saturday, so he went and got Jacob. We had a small group, but it was fun and the food was yummy. 

Sunday was a day to relax, except that I did run to Aldi and Family Dollar to pick up a few things. On Monday, I canned 12 pints of salsa as we were on our last jar and since we did not have enough turkey leftovers, so I roasted another turkey breast on Monday and made some more broccoli casserole. It was quite delicious!

I am taking every Monday in December off, so long weekends all month. WooHoo! I don't know that I plan to cook on every Monday, but we will see.

Oh, and the playing bongos naked question???? After we saw Dallas Buyers Club on Thanksgiving, there was discussion about Matthew McConoughey and it was brought up that he was arrested years ago for smoking pot and playing bongos naked in his house.

So now, when we call each other we ask if the other one is playing bongos naked. LOL! Yes, we are odd.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing all my friends a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Unexpected blessing....

I think I made it pretty clear here how I felt when our son came to stay with us a couple of weeks ago. We have been busy, busy, busy since then and it has been great. Our son has been so industrious and it kinda rubbed off on me. LOL!

I have been crazy busy at work, so have been working through lunch every day and until 5:30 in the afternoon. My normal hours are 8 - 5 with and hour lunch. I DO get paid for OT, so the larger checks are kinda nice, but they are not large enough to make me want to do this forever.

Without writing a novel, here is what has been done in the last 2 weeks:

• Hubby took Son to the VA to find out what needed to be done to get his benefits.
• Hubby hurt his ankle while doing it.
• Son went to a veteran's job fair and handed out 20 resumes and picked up a lot of information
• Son applied on-line to a LOT of job offers.
• I took a day off and went with Son to finish signing up at the VA Hospital for bennies.
• We went to the local community college and Son talked to the VA rep
• I went with Son to look at apartments in the area. I made sure to shame anyone that didn't give a discount to veterans. LOL!
• Son had job interview with Starbucks for a shift manager position
• Son had interview with a company for a route salesman position.
• Son interviewed with HR, hiring manager, branch manager and regional manager. 
• Son went on ride along to see how he would like the job.
• Son has been following up with unemployment office who still hasn't been able to get his UI bennies straight.
• Son registered with the school, though not for classes and is scheduled to attend orientation to see what he would like to take
• Son has second interview with Starbucks and was offered job.
• Son considering lower paid Starbucks job and attending college full time. Yesterday, Son gets voicemail that second company is interested in him for 2 positions; the one he applied for and one as the Facility Health and Safety Coordinator for REALLY GOOD SALARY. He was so excited and is weighing all options.

As you see, Son has not been lazing around doing nothing. Oh, and there is other stuff he has been doing. I just hit the high points.

The unexpected blessing is that Hubby and I have gotten to spend SO much time with Son. It has been such a pleasure and such a blessing to spend time with the young man the Army sent back to us. He was always a joy, but now he is a man and a wonderful man at that. My heart just bursts with joy pretty much all day long. 

Yes, I am a sap.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Safe Holiday Shopping.

I receive messages from the Harris County Sheriff's Office in Texas and though I would share this one:

In an effort to reduce your chances of being victimized by these “grinches”, the HCSO’s Auto Theft Unit recommends you take the following precautions:

 Do not carry large sums of cash, or a purse or wallet that can easily be grabbed. Large wallets that protrude out of the back pocket and handbags that cannot be secured are prime targets while you are shopping or walking to and from your vehicle. Make sure that all valuables have been removed from your vehicle before leaving home.

 Be mindful of your parking spot and park as close as possible to the doors. It is much safer to shop in the day time hours but if you cannot avoid being out at night, make sure you park in a well-lit, high-traffic area.

 LOCK your car and TAKE your keys. The failure to do these two things just enhanced your chances of becoming a victim.

 Walk in and out of the shopping center with other shoppers, and if you feel vulnerable at all, wait until someone is walking in or have a security guard escort you.

 Do not take packages to your car and then return to shopping. Thieves watch the parking lot for this type of activity and target vehicles with valuables inside. Packages should be secured in the vehicle trunk only before leaving to go home or to another shopping center. You do not want to arrive at another shopping center and be seen hiding and arranging your packages.

 When at a fueling station, do not leave your vehicle unlocked, not even while pumping gas. Thieves can gain access to a vehicle and snatch valuables inside in a matter of seconds. Children should NEVER be left unattended.

 When banking, make sure that you are aware of your surroundings when returning to the parking lot and watch to make sure you are not being followed. Thieves have followed banking patrons to their next destination which has resulted in both robberies of the person and burglaries of the vehicles.

 At home, park your vehicle in your garage. This significantly protects your vehicle from thieves. It only takes a few minutes for a criminal to break into your vehicle and take valuables and/or equipment. Never leave your garage door opener inside your vehicle. By doing so, you give criminals access to your home.

By taking these precautions, you are significantly reducing these crimes of opportunity.

Now, go out and have a safe and happy holiday season!

Way to honor a veteran, Bio Mom.

You will not BELIEVE the newest example of what a crappy parent my kids’ mother is. Our son has been out of the Army since October 1. We have not seen much of him and didn’t push it, thinking he would let us know if he needed anything. We did know that he stayed with his sister for a while and that did not work as, according to her, he was coming in late at night and waking her up. And now that she is a full time working stiff like the rest of us, that did not fly with her. So he moved out. His side of the story is a bit different, but that is water under the bridge.

A couple of weeks ago, we found out he was staying in a hotel. He said he was looking for a job and wanted to wait until he found one to decide where to live. Then he would find an apartment close to work. That made sense to me.

On Monday, I received a message from my children's other mother through Facebook asking if Son can stay with us a few days? What?!! We told had told both of our girls to let him know he could stay with us any time he needed to and when we saw him Nov 3 (we had a get together to celebrate a few birthdays), we told him the same thing.

So, I replied to Son's mom and told her all that and questioned why he was having HER contact me. She replied that she was just doing it on her own. That they were waiting for a call from the VA liaison. And he needed a place to stay for a few days. I reiterated to her that all he had to do was call.

So, Son called Bob and came over Tuesday. And we found out that the call his mom made was to the HOMELESS VETERAN’S COALITION. WHAT THE HELL!. He is not homeless. Son is supposed to receive a call within 48 hours, so we are going to wait and see what he is told. But what kind of mother, who lives in a big house, (She moved back in with her ex-husband and they have 4 or 5 bedrooms.) would send their child to a homeless shelter. OMG! I am just dumbfounded! Can you tell?? I know that her ex and none of our kids got along, but you would think SHE would stand up for her child and let him stay there in one of their 3 or 4 extra bedrooms for a few days until he got something figured out. But I guess that would not be convenient for her.

Please don't think that I have anything against the Veteran's Homeless Coalition, but I think its purpose it to help homeless veterans. Not recently separated veterans that have plenty of family who should be willing to lend a helping hand. For a bit.

Anyway, he is at our place right now. Hubby said he cannot stay indefinitely but we will work to help Son get on his feet. I say, he served our country and we will not let him be homeless. I felt so bad for Son last night. I don’t know what his dumb ass mom has said to him but he kept saying he didn’t “want to be a burden.” I told him he was NOT a burden. And he said he didn’t want to disappoint us. I let him know that could not happen. It was like he was broken. It broke my heart.

Since pretty soon after returning from Afghanistan  he was having some stress issues and was talking to a health care provider on base. I think he might need meds adjusted, so found the site for him to apply for his medical benefits since he has not done that yet. Hubby agrees that he thinks that might be something that needs to be done, so he went with Son to the VA Hospital Wednesday to sign up in person and see if he can see someone pretty quickly. They only got part of the sign up stuff done as they got a late start in the day. They were going to go back on Friday, but Hubby hurt his leg, so I said I would take the day off and go with Son if he wanted me to.

Thursday, Son spent the day at a veterans job fair. He was stoked when he came back.  Oh, and we have had many conversations over the last week and you know what? He does not seem broken anymore. He is positive and excited and looking or work with a vengeance. After the job fair, he spent hours submitting applications on-line.

Friday morning he got calls for 2 job interviews for next week, we went to the VA and he finished getting signed up for his benefits. We went to the local jr college so he could get information. Then we came home for a while and he got on the computer and submitted more applications. Then, we went out apartment hunting. LOL! We were busy all day and it was well worth it.

Today he went to breakfast with his mom and one of his sisters, but before they could start eating, his mom got mad at him...he is not sure why....and LEFT! Yes, he and his sister drove across town and she left. So Son and his sis went to eat. Son says that his sister said that HE didn't do or say anything that should have pissed off their mom. He was understandably upset and I let him vent when he got home.

But he went and looked at apartments on the way home and he has been on-line applying for jobs for a few hours. He it being totally productive and a perfect houseguest. He even took out the trash on his way out today without us even thinking to mention it. LOL!

He will be fine, and he will never be homeless. He is my hero

and we will happily help him. I can do no less.