Friday, November 4, 2016

Planning For Our Visitors - NOT

I started this blog a few days ago and since that time my brother has developed shingles and they are unable to come.  Niles is still coming.  ☹️

My brother and his wife will be here next weekend!  We have lived here 15+ years and they have never made it down.  What is the draw this time?  New guns and a scheduled hog hunt.  We have huge, ugly wild pigs that there is open season on all year and no tag needed because they are so destructive.  Niles, from Retama, is coming up from the valley and they all three are really looking forward to it.

Today I wrote out a loose plan for our time over the week and what I need to have in the house for meals.  We will be on the go so I will do some cooking and freezing for easy preparation while they are here.

Then I did errands and shopping and Ted decided to go with me.  Our first stop was the post office to mail the box containing the Christmas dresses.  Then on to Charming Charlie's with my latest coupon.  Armed with more coupons and some Kohl's dollars from my bath gift shopping in Michigan, we headed there.  I bought a gift that was originally $52, was on sale, then I received 10% plus $10 off using my Retail Me Not app plus $10 off with my Kohl's dollars.  Final cost $5.82!  I love bargains!  Ted decided we should eat lunch at Willie's Ice House.  Who am I to object?  So I didn't!

Saturday I drove to Gerre's so we could go to a holiday craft fair.  We didn't find anything to buy.  It was very, very crowded and strollers and wagons didn't help the matter.  So we went to lunch!  It was mid afternoon when I returned and I prepared our envelopes for church but not much else.

We visited with Terry and Carol for a bit after church and then we drove to Applebee's for dinner because we had a gift card with about $15 left on it.  We figured out the last time we used it was last December in Kingsville on our way to the valley.  We came home to watch Ohio State on TV. 

Sunday Ted had a huge Sporting Clays Tournament to help run.  There were over 100 shooters so he was gone all day.  I had another $25 from Kohl's (not sure why) so I did a little more bargain shopping. I bought gifts for our church giving tree and for the Forum Christmas giving tree.  I also got a gift for a family member and a decoration for the house.  Everything was on sale.  The clerk took off the $25 and the $10 plus 10% from my Retail Me Not app for a total of $46 due for four items!  I seldom shop at Kohl's except for linens and housewares but I can see why they draw the crowds.

Monday was laundry day and the cable guy came to program our new remotes.  They were here to update our boxes recently to HD because they said we had to.  But the remote wouldn't do anything except turn the TV off and on.  I needed our surround sound remote to turn the sound on and adjust volume.  I knew something was wrong.  This guy fixed it and helped us figure out how to play a DVD.  All this technology!  I went to the nail salon in the afternoon to get that out of the way.

We were up until 2.30 am Wednesday morning watching the election results.  I hope we can all come together and continue to make America a stronghold in the world with prosperity for all who pursue it.  

Wow!  Since I last wrote that on Wednesday our cities are being turned into war zones.  Where are the Democratic leaders who should be addressing these actions with their followers.  I was certainly unhappy in 2008 and 2012, as were many, but we didn't destroy anything.  

Wednesday Cindi turned me into a blonde!  She was just going to give me some highlights.  I will let you know if I have more fun.

Thursday was our neighborhood lunch.  The men had theirs the day before.  Gail was readmitted to MD Anderson because her leg surgery site became infected.  She sent cupcakes for the birthday celebrants and we wanted to send her a photo of our group getting ready to enjoy them.  I had been to the doctor for my six month bloodwork earlier.  He said I am in great shape for someone my age but if I get sick this winter to come right in.  Apparently my ability to fight off illness diminishes as I age!


I was out of the house at 7:30 on Friday to work the Children's Festival at our big entertainment venue.  Title One schools are bussed in before the weekend to enjoy what is offered.  I was partnered with two others and we were responsible for directing six bus loads of over 250 children along with their teachers.  First they went to a large building where the zoo, natural science museum, Microsoft and a few others had presentations.  We had two schools mixing and the teachers were freaking out trying to keep their classes together.  

The second time period was for a stage show in the pavilion.  I rolled my papers up and held them above my head so they could see to follow me.  There are about 3,000 kids in all so this isn't as easy as it sounds.  I showed the teachers on the diagram where they would be sitting.  I don't know why this info isn't shared with them.  I'm sure they feel helpless while being shuffled around.  One little boy asked if I was a policeman!!

This group was unable to stay for the third activity because their buses needed to get back for after school runs.  We spent a lot of stop and go movement while lines crisscrossed.  But we didn't lose a kid or put them on the wrong bus! 

I was exhausted when I got home. Ted had been helping with installing new throwers into the skeet houses at the gun club and he was equally bushed.  We baked a pizza for dinner then crashed on our couches.  We then received a text asking if we were OK and where were we.  We had received a party invitation when I was in Michigan.  I asked Ted to check the calendar, he said we were free, I RSVPd but Ted didn't write it on the calendar.  Ten days later when I came home it was nowhere on my radar.  I was planning for company for a week.  Oops!  I was terribly embarrassed but the hosts were understanding. 

This morning I met Gerre and Rhonda for breakfast at Cracker Barrel and we then went to a Nutcracker Market.  I bought a Christmas swag for the front door and some pumpkins and things to put on the dining room table.  We went to church and then to the grocery.  We are invited to Gerre's for their neighborhood group Texas football TV watching.  I am taking a dessert because we won't get there until close to half time after Ted gets done shooting.  

We went to church then to the grocery to get things for my cheesecakes I am making for tomorrow.  We grabbed a sandwich and then came home for the evening.













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