I'm Melting!!!!

Last weekend was the BIG shopping trip with my sisters, nieces and daughters. We do this every year, the first weekend in November. We pile into our vehicles and head for Minnesota where no one knows us and literally shop, eat and drink til we drop! It is 3 1/2 days of non stop wild women fun. We stop short of getting arrested but otherwise nothing is off limits!

This is what my credit cards looks like after shopping for the last 3 1/2 days ! They are also still smoking!

I have been named the Shopping Whore! I came away from the weekend with more stash than anyone and am proud of it! Of course I have 10 grandchildren to buy for as well as my children. Then again, I can't forget myself. What's that saying? If momma ain't happy, no one is happy! and one thing that makes Momma happy is shopping. After this weekend Momma was extremely happy! I could wear a different outfit every day for the next 2 weeks and not repeat! Sweet!!!

Beyond the clothes was the bonding and fun with family. We laughed and teased and had such a great time all weekend long. There is nothing better. I came away refreshed and ready to face whatever they throw at me. This is what it's all about.

We have already set the date for next year and I have it marked on my calendar. I wouldn't miss it for the world!

The Company I Keep

This is my favorite time of year!

I start to think about Halloween and buying candy for the little ones who will come knocking on my door begging for a handful.

I think about deer hunting and how my big strong hubbs will go up north to the shack and bag us a "big" one for the freezer for food the winter. Just kidding, if he brings one home I have to help clean it and there's nothing nastier than that!!

I also think about Thanksgiving and turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Pumpkin pie for dessert and everyone taking a nap later after they have stuffed themselves silly.

But the biggest reason this is my all time FAVORITE time of the year? It is MOA time!!!

Every year at this time, my sisters and our daughters get together for a 4 day girl's weekend at the Mall of America in Minnesota and we literally shop, eat, drink and laugh til we drop all 4 days! It is such a great time! There is not a male or a child in sight and because we are out of town and no one knows us we can act however we want (as long as it doesn't get us arrested) and it's OK.
I count the days all year and look forward to the next weekend the minute this one is over. It is marked on my calendar and I always make sure I save vacation days for this trip.

I believe this is year 10 or it could be 11, it really doesn't matter. We have had baby showers, celebrated the end of marriages and the beginnings of relationships and just celebrated because we were all together. Sometimes we have gone to Broadway shows and other times we just sit in our jammies and watch movies. That's the point- it doesn't matter what we do- we have fun doing it because we're together.

Poor Hubbs has gotten used to the damage I do to the credit cards after all this time and doesn't say much. I do come home with a lot of my Christmas shopping done for the grand kids so it isn't a total bust. I also come home refreshed, renewed and ready to face whatever challenges life throws at me. Oh and I start marking the days off til the next trip. Can't start planning too soon.

To My Daughter Carrin

Today is my first born's birthday. 36 years ago today- I gave birth to one of the most beautiful baby girls I had ever seen. It was love at first sight- On my part any way- I have no idea what she thought of me.
In a way it's a little bittersweet because as she gets older, so do I.
I love all my children equally and in their own way. They are all individuals and as different as can be. It sometimes amazes me that I could have carried, born and raised 3 children in the same house, that turned out so different. Then I realize that is what makes them who they are.

Your first born is always the experiment. They don't come with directions and you really aren't prepared for them. Considering I was an 18 year old, single mother trying to raise Carrin on my own I really wasn't prepared for her. We sort of grew up together. I remember one time I took a nap when Carrin did but she woke up first. When I finally woke up she was decorated from one end of her body to the other with my make up! Good thing it was only my make up! Sometimes I am amazed that she made it at all but then again I realize that she took care of me those first two and a half years as much as I took care of her.

After I married the man who became her father, we really became over protective of her. She wasn't allowed to walk across the street without me standing at the corner watching her til I couldn't see her anymore, she could only ride her bike on the sidewalk in front of our house because we were afraid she would hurt herself (so of course when she had a bike accident and had to have stitches, she lied) and when she went to school which was only a block away, I had her so scared of strangers, she wouldn't accept a ride from a classmates mother in a snow storm because she didn't know who they were! Naturally, she wasn't allowed to shave her legs, pluck her eyebrows or date until she was 16! This lead to sneaking around and lying and a couple of car accidents cuz she was in the wrong place at the wrong time! Of course she thought her father and I were too dumb to know what was really going on!!!!

Eventually, she grew up, had some kids of her own and once in a while I even hear some of me coming out of her mouth when she talks to her kids. So I know she listened to me and retained some things I said when she was younger. I am proud of her and what she has accomplished with her life. She has 3 wonderful children and is helping to raise her fiance's son. They all know they are loved fiercely and are strong independent individuals because that is how she was raised. She is a daughter any mother would be proud to call their own but only I get that honor.

Carrin- Happy Birthday baby girl! May you have many more and may they all be wonderful!

Bigger and Better

My family just keeps getting BIGGER and BETTER !

Over the past couple years I went from having 2 daughters and a son with 3 grandchildren all living in Iowa and Nebraska. To suddenly acquiring a future son in law (Todd) and an almost 13 year old grandson (TJ). They will marry into my daughter Carrin's family next June but already feel just like family.

Megan and Noah and Morgan are my daughters children.

Then a couple weeks ago my son surprised us all and announced he was getting married and becoming a father to his new wife, Krissy's, 4 year old son, Jackson. I got to meet them both this past weekend when we went to Nebraska for a visit. I really like Krissy. Besides being very pretty, she seems like a very nice woman (can't call her a girl) and they seem very happy together. Jackson is adorable and I can't wait to spend more time with him. Unfortunately I live almost 500 miles away from all of my IA and NE grandchildren so don't get to spoil them too much.

I loved being a mother and now I love being a grandmother! I have grandchildren surrounding me here in WI and grandchildren that I have to love by long distance in IA and NE. It doesn't matter where you are, all that matters is how you love them.

I can only hope my family continues to grow and get bigger and better year after year. I just wish they were all closer so I could see them more often. For now, I'll just have to be content w with pictures, facebook, blogs and telephones.

Of course I have already passed on the curse to my son now that he has a child. I have told him I hope that Jackson is just as naughty as he was and gives him just as much if not more grief as he gave me when he was a child

Tara adopted a beer drinking, smoking dog named Buddy a little over a year ago and he is her baby and my Grand dog. He goes where she does, tries to do what she does and thinks he is human. He is truly one of the family!

A partial group shot showing just some of the family. Would need one of those panaramic camera shots to fit them all into the picture and then probably couldn't get them all on this blog page.
SO there you have my Iowa and Nebraska family.

Big, Bigger,Biggest.

I love them all!

Mending Fences

I recently had the opportunity to spend some time visiting my children in Nebraska and decided that while I was there I would try and reach out to my son who lives in Iowa and that I haven't seen or talked to since last July.


Out of the blue, he sent me a text at Easter saying " damn you're good! I've looked everywhere and still haven't found my Easter basket!" This was the first communication I had received in almost a year and since I was reading it while driving, I damn near ran my car off the road! Of course, I responded and this opened the lines of text communication between us.

I let him know I would be coming down there in May and asked if he would be available so I could see him? I got an email back that he was now the bar manager of the country club and also in charge of the tournaments and his schedule was pretty busy so he didn't know if he would be able to get any time off. Said he usually works 7 days a week- so in other words- if I wanted to see him I would need to go where he was.

So that is how one fine morning while down there, we found ourselves packed into my daughters van headed out to see him. Of course we didn't know we would run into not one but two bridges out for repair and no detour directions. Thank God this is small town USA. We did manage to find our way to the country club and at first things were a little strained but by the time we left my son was laughing and joking and I did get a hug from him.

Did we get everything resolved? No. Will we? Hopefully sometime in the future. For now, I am just glad I had the chance to see him, talk to him and hug him. Baby steps for now. At least we are talking again.

What a truly great trip I had! All three of my children together and my grandchildren. Doesn't get any better than that! Wish I could do this more often!