Start of The Christmas Season

Thursday was a BIG turkey dinner. Friday was turkey sandwiches. Saturday, needed pasta in the worst way. Sunday was leftover appetizers. Monday will be turkey salad sandwiches and then onto the big Christmas preparations. My first day of Christmas shopping is on Wednesday. Every year since before I was born, my mom and godmother have gone shopping on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving.

It has been a tradition for them. They would get up early and literally shop 'til they dropped. The day usually started for them at about 8:00AM and didn't end until well after midnight. Once Chip was born, I was invited to join them. It was not because they wanted to see me, but spend more time with Chip. The day now starts around 9:00 AM with breakfast with the ladies at the local IHOP for the senior citizen special --- (they are the seniors, not me!). Then we check out the newspaper ads to get the low down on all the deals. Need to cut those coupons!

Then it is across the street for the bargain hunt. The first thing that happens is you need to park the car near an exit, leave you coat in the car, find the nearest bathroom and then shop! My mom and aunt have been doing this so long they have a special call to each other: "Hellie, oh Hellie" and the other "Ellie, oh Ellie" you can hear this throughout the stores. It is quite funny!

During the day, they stop for a drink, lunch, bathroom breaks......... not much shopping ever gets done. Then around 2:45PM, I leave because I have to go to get Chip and Rocky from school. Grandma and Auntie Hellie can't wait for this part. We have used this day as the day the grandchildren go to see the Fat Man. My sister was invited to join us when her son was born and then my sister-in-law was invited when my brother's son was born. Now, Chip, Rocky and their two cousins all go see Santa Claus together! I don't know how much longer Chip or Rocky will sit on the big guy's lap, but we will see!

After the Santa pictures, the kids want to do a little shopping and then we all go for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. So all in all, not much shopping gets done, but a lot of eating and seeing the relatives without any cleaning the house or cooking happens.

That's the beginning of the holiday season at Gemmie's House.

The Holidays Are Approaching

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and four weeks from today is Christmas Eve. I haven't done any of the preparations for any of the holidays yet. The Halloween decorations never even came out of storage this year. The time has flown by way to quickly for me. We have to do the shopping, baking and cooking all in one night. Good thing Fred likes to cook!

Happy Thanksgiving To All!

Meet My Family

I have stated in my profile I am the mother of two great boys and the wife of a fantastic man, well it is time you meet them. My husband is Fred, and he is a stone worker of sorts, he is an architect and he helps his clients decide how and where the stones should be placed to create the wonderful monuments we call buildings. Fred and I have been married since the Stone Age (almost 22 years now). We met through a mutual friend the day after I graduated from high school and we have been together ever since.

We have two wonderful sons, Chip who is thirteen and very handsome, and Rocky who is ten going on twenty-one and he puts the sparkle in all of us. Chip is off to high school in September, a Boy Scout, and avid soccer player. Rocky is a Cub Scout, a saxophone player, great student and a sports nut! Rocky loves his favorite baseball team so much that he wears a NY Mets shirt EVERY Friday, no matter what! He knows all the stats and could negotiate a $5 million contract for anyone including Babe Ruth. He has also been cursed with the Community Service gene. Rocky do anything for anyone! He is kind and considerate and will get you the shirt off his back if asked, and at times to his own determent.

Chip on the other hand is a little more under the radar, although the thing that his radar is honing in on is the girls. Luckily he knows that Gemmie and Fred won't put up with girls interfering with Chip's education! Chip is an excellent student when he applies himself. Chip is up for his next rank in Boy Scouts tonight! Good Luck Chip!

More on them later!

Gem

A Story About Chip

My teenage son went to his first "formal" event today. He was dressed in his suit and tie and went off. The young ladies that met him there, were very excited to see him all dressed up. I must say he looked fine! They were surprised at how good he looks when he is all polished, but he is a 3 carat gem just like his mom!

I asked the young ladies, who looked very nice too, what time the affair was going to be over and their response was 11:00 PM, but my dad is picking us up at 10:30. I told my little chip off the Gemmie, the pumpkin will pick you up at 10:30 too. He had the "what in the %$#@ is she talking about" expression on his face and the girls had to tell him. The girls said "Cinderella Chip!", then he rolled his eyes and said "Oh, Momma Gemmie"...........thinking "MOTHERS ARE SOOOO ANNOYING".

He was given the instructions --- don't talk with your mouth full, a firm handshake and be a gentleman. I am sure that I probably didn't need to give the instructions, but it felt like the motherly thing to do. I didn't embarrass him by giving him a kiss and I am sure he will make me a very proud momma.

Round Hole Square Peg

Did you ever try to do something that you know was supposed to work? But it just wouldn't! A construction project at my home is just that thing that is supposed to work. According to all the drawings, plans and pictures it should have fit. But someone just didn't think it all through. It will be alright, it will just take a little more time and then it will be perfect.

Felix and a Troop of Oscars

One person's idea of a perfect way is definitely not another's! I am stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one. I have two friends, one a "Felix Unger" character and the other a not so "Felix, but definitely not Oscar Mason". "Felix" was the adult equipment manager for the Boy Scout Troop, but being a "Felix", he doesn't go camping....... "Not so Oscar" goes camping, but doesn't want the job. "Oscar" told me that "Felix" was going about things the wrong way and "Felix" told me that the "Oscars" are not cooperating........... ARRRGGGHHHHH (Oh, that's Charlie Brown)

I just need to sit back and listen........ because my boy, "Oscar Jr." is the Quartermaster of the troop and he kept telling me that "Felix" is driving him crazy!

Well, "Felix" just resigned and I don't know it I should be happy, sad or grateful!

Wow!

I got hits! I was so excited today when I saw how many hits my blog received today! I want to do the happy dance!

Get yours at Webfetti.com

Get yours at Webfetti.com

Thanksgiving Is 9 Days Away!

Counting My Blessings

The other day I was invited to attend a fashion show for the March of Dimes. It was a fundraiser for them, the "models" were children who were born weeks or months prematurely. My niece, was in the show and both she and her brother were born 9 weeks before their due date. To both their and the family's good fortune, the two of them are now healthy and happy 4 1/2 year olds.

During the show, children ranging from 6 months to 7 years paraded their fashions for all. The children were absolutely adorable and to see how far each of them have come was amazing. As a parent, I sometimes forget that the struggles I have with my boys are tiny, as both of them were born full-term, are extremely talented in academics & sports, and they are fine young men.

It is an eye opening experience to see the hurdles these families must conquer just to bring their child home. I pray that I never have to experience the illness of one of my sons or hold the hand of a friend whose child is sick, but I will be there to comfort and support any and all of them. May God bless all the children and their families.

Leaves Have Fallen

The leaves in my neighborhood have all fallen, except for one tree in my backyard. This tree has refused to turn colors and let the leaves go. That is how I feel about the coming of the holiday season. I seem to have missed the last half of September and all of October. Is it really the 17th of November? The businesses have done away with all the Thanksgiving decorations and it is still 10 days away! Santa arrived at the local mall on Thursday evening, tree sellers have already set up their stands and the grocery stores have candy canes on sale.

My poor little tree is trying to make a statement and say "Wait stop and enjoy the fall...... it is just as wonderful as winter and we still have lots of fun to be had. Rake the leaves into a pile and jump and roll among them, there will be time for snow and snowball fights in the weeks and months to come."

In late spring, we hear the saying "Don't forget to stop and smell the roses, let's stop and watch the leaves turn and fall to the ground" It is a peaceful sound, with all the leaf blowers and lawn mowers we don't seem to hear what our environment is saying to us. The falling leaves tell us almost silently to slow down. I intend to take a brief moment today to listen to the leaves.................... "Gem, enjoy life, enjoy your family, enjoy nature............."

Helping Others, Helping Yourself

Yesterday, I assisted my son with a scout project, "Scouting for Food". It has always been a project I have been involved with but yesterday I really saw the hard work that goes into it. My son and three others in his troop were give a thousand bags each, a map and a group of scouts ranging in age from 6-17. They were each asked to coordinate the scouts, drop off the bags and a week later pick up the food and deliver it to the food pantry. They are also responsible for the recording of service hours for each of the boys involved and reporting back to the scout master.

It is very difficult as a parent not to help, I had to step back and let him be in charge and in control. For a young man, he has done an incredible job. There was an overwhelming response to the food drive, my son's group collected approximately 1300 pieces of food. The other 3 groups collected anywhere from 900 pieces to 1250 pieces. Another scout troop was conducting a drive as well and the boys all met at the food pantry and worked together to get the items out of the cars and trucks and into the building. It was a wonderful feeling to see that the community and the scouts are working together for a common goal.

My son's eyes were opened to the many blessings he has and is grateful for the food that his family can provide him and his brother. Compassion was one of the many lessons learned yesterday. Many families in our community will be fed for Thanksgiving and in the weeks to come.

Things are Brighter!

Things have gotten brighter! One of the reasons why I had the blah's was because I misplaced my glasses. I found them, I found them! La, la, la, la, la!

The Friday Blah's

Yes, I know you are not supposed to have the Friday Blah's, but the weather hasn't been helping. It has been drizzling for the past two days and it is expected to continue until Sunday. The gray and wet weather can make even the happiest person sad.

There was a bright spot though yesterday, my 10 year old son came home from school barely walking, and I asked him "what happened?" Here I am ready to call the police to have the gym teacher arrested for abusing my child, his response was "MOM, I DID 45 lLAPS AT SCHOOLl!!!!", I was still having the teacher arrested at this point and then he handed me a certificate that said "Second Place in the School for Pacer Test". He was second only to a 10 year old girl with 3 inches more legs than my son. So, he was 1st Place for the boys!

Then both boys had basketball rankings last night, the older one was first, he is one of the youngest in the age group, but one of the tallest. He did fine, especially since he never played on an organized team before, but the younger one was dribbling, passing and shooting like a pro. In fact, one of the coach's keep pulling him out ---- I didn't know why. Well, by the end of the session, the coach comes up to me and says "Mrs. Gem?"

"Yes???"

"I would like to have your son on my travel team. I coach the 11 year olds and I think your son is good enough to play with them."

My response was, "He is only 10!", and silently I am thinking -----"OH, no travel."

"Yes, but I want him!" explained the coach.

Hopefully, yesterday's bright spot will begin to spill over into today........ but so far it hasn't!

A Beautiful Bunch

I have a beautiful bunch of friends! Yesterday, while I was having lunch with 3 friends, all from different areas of my life I realized how lucky I am. My friends range from casual acquaintances to "tell me your deep dark secrets". I jokingly compared them to a lovely bunch of flowers.

As a lover of flowers, I see the beauty in all. The obvious are roses, lilies, and orchids, but even the flowers others see as weeds are beautiful such as goldenrod and dandelions. Without dandelions, a five year old couldn't give his mom a bouquet of flowers. Without goldenrod, we wouldn't appreciate our health and the good things we enjoy. Roses are beautiful and sweet smelling, but very thorny. Lilies are fragrant and the pollen gets everywhere. Orchids are rare and very delicate.

My friends are roses, lilies, orchids, daisies, tulips, asters, dandelions and yes, even goldenrod. I guess I am just not allergic to goldenrod! To all my friends that I didn't mention a flower for, you are all in my bouquet and you mean more to me than you will ever know. Thank you for making my world more beautiful.

Nothing Much To Say!

I don't have much to say today.............

See ya tomorrow!

Happiness is .....

Happiness is spending time with my son
Happiness is interacting with him
Happiness is knowing he is a good person
Happiness is realizing he is becoming the man I always knew he would be!

Monday Morning Time

Time is 6:45 AM, Mom's up, shower time,
Time is 7:05 AM, Son Number One is up, got money for lunch time,
Time is 7:40 AM, Hubby's up, make the coffee time,
Time is 7:50 AM, Number one son's off, make the lunch time,
Time is 8:00 AM, Number two son's up, do you have your homework time,
Time is 8:30 AM, Number two son's off, did you make the bus time,
Time is 8:35 AM, Hubby's off, I'll drive him time.
Time is 8:55 AM, Mom's washing dishes, clean up time,
Time is 9:15 AM, Mom's picking up clothes, laundry time,
Time is 10:00 AM, Mom's paying the bills, bank time,
Time is 10:45 AM, Mom's arranging car pools, scheduleing time,
Time is 11:00 AM, Mom's on the computer, PTO time,
Time is 11:45 AM, Mom's stomach is rumbling, BREAKFAST TIME!

Honey, Come Sit With Me

"Honey, come sit with me" used to mean let's cuddle.......... Today, it meant "Let me have the computer for a while. I want to show you what I want for Christmas." Well, he didn't want to show me a shirt, tie or even a new coat. He is dreaming the BIG CHRISTMAS GIFT DREAM!

He better be VERY, VERY good during the next few weeks, if he thinks Santa is going to spend that kind of cash! Boys toys get very expensive and the older they get the more expensive the toys are! My big boy (hubby) is looking at a "semi-professional" digital camera with additional lenses, carrying case and extra bells and whistles.

What happened to the days when a homemade Christmas card and a thoughtful piece of clothing that matched his blue eyes was more than enough?

Since, he "showed" me his list. I gave him mine............ 1. A diamond fleur de lis necklace 2. A new laptop computer to be used exclusively by me 3. A new desk and updated computer room 4. A new wardrobe and that was just off the top of my head. If I had to make a list for Santa, I bet I could come up with a list as long as my arm.

Now I know what "Honey, come sit with me" means..............

Boys Stink!

I remember when I was about 6-10 years old and thought "Boys Stink!". Well I am a lot older now and they do! This afternoon my sons had two friends over and they were playing a video game .........Guitar Hero World Tour. Yes, they were in their own space, but four 10-14 year olds stink when they get sweaty!

My childhood and adulthood ideas of "Boys Stink" are completely different but so true! Luckily, I changed my mind at about twelve and a half and I am very happy being the "Queen Bee" at my house. I love my boys and all their stinky friends and wouldn't trade them in for a houseful of girls!

Tea for Three

This morning had some very pleasant twists. My sons had a friend stay over last night and they didn't stay up until 3:00 AM. My husband is working from home today and watched a "Chick Flick" on the boob tube this morning with me. And a meeting I really didn't want to have turned into a very enjoyable brunch.

A friend and I were supposed to visit a catering hall to arrange a party, but the gentleman we needed to speak with was not available. So we decided to "have a mom's morning out", the kids were in very capable hands and "safe", so out for a meal and adult conversation.

We were escorted to our seats by the host, greeted by the waiter and ordered our tea. Then the cell phone rang! Usually it is any one of our 5 sons, "When are you coming home?", but we were surprised when a friend of ours was on the other end. We didn't even give her a chance to say no, "meet us at Perkin's!", and to our surprise, she accepted!

Well, there was "Three for Tea!" The three of us meet through our children, 7 boys in all! That range in age from 8 to 18. We didn't meet because each one of us have a son in the same grade or even the same school. That would have happened for only two of us. We met through a wonderful organization that helps mold high energy boys into fine young men, the Boy Scouts of America. We are well on our way to be mothers of men that will make a significant contribution to our society.

Ladies, I am always available for tea!

Homecation

My homecation is all about not doing my job! As a stay at home mom, I am responsible for the caring, clothing, feeding and the general well being of my family. The laundry has to be done, but I didn't do it in the regular way. The mountain was just too big to tackle one load at a time, so I took it to the laundromat. Yes, it cost a few dollars, but it only took two and a half hours to wash, dry & fold six huge loads.

My mornings have been completely dedicated to the satisfaction of me this week. Get up, lounge in my nightgown, make myself a cup of coffee, sit on the couch, watch mindless television and shower before noon. Too bad it can only happen when the kids are home from school......because ideally a house all to myself would make things perfect.

I had a date last night with the man of my dreams--- yes, it was my husband. We went out just the two of us, to an adult restaurant where they change the silverware with every course. I didn't even have to say "leave your brother alone" once. There was adult conversation and no talk about why a cell phone is a necessary accessory for a kid that doesn't even use the regular phone.

I might even bake a decedent chocolate cake this afternoon --- definitely not good for the family or even myself! The bills will not be paid this week, because I am on homecation! They can wait until Monday.

Reality starts again on Monday, but for now, homecation is wonderful. So when anyone asks me next week, "what did you do with the week off?" My answer will be "CERTAINLY NOT MY JOB!"

Our Founding Fathers Are Happy

Back in the 1770's, 1870's or even the 1970's, the people of our great nation probably thought that a black man born on a small group of islands in the Pacific would never be president of such a great nation. During the 1770's, our founding fathers were trying to decide whether or not slavery was a right, they chose to keep the status quo. In the 1870's, the people of the United States were recovering from a terrible war where the main issue was slavery and black men and women were freed from that bondage. In the 1970's, black men and women were stepping into a world where they could begin to stand side by side with white men and women. In 2008, all men and women are created equal and we can show this to all of the people of the world.

I am proud to be an American this morning; not that I am not proud everyday, but I am especially proud today. Yes, we have a new president-elect; yes, he is a black man; yes, he is a change; yes, he has awaken the young people of this country; yes, we will have hard times; yes, things will be different; but that is good. Good for all the people.

Taken from our Declaration of Independence:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. "

Thank you, founding fathers for the foundation on which "We the people" have built our nation, and may our nation stand strong for many generations to come and may the next generation of leaders be blessed with the foresight that our founding fathers had.

God Bless Our United States of America!

Gem's First Cut

They always say the first step is the hardest, boy is it true. That first breath we take at birth. The first step when we are trying to walk. The first day of kindergarten. The first day you realize that the ones you have been nurturing and helping along can do things on their own. And the first day you start writing your own blog.

I have been reading a friends blog for about a year and a half now and each time I read one of her entries, I say to myself you should write one too. Something has always gotten in the way, a child who needs help with homework, a phone call from someone else, a meeting to go to or just plain laziness. Well, I took the step!

My first blog entry is done! I think I will try it again! See ya soon!

GEM