Need I say more?

Teenager, Red Hair, Irish Temper and a PINK T-shirt ...
T R O U B L E !!
he really is a cute and witty teenager ! Growing up too fast!

dreary days

UGH- I am ready for snow or spring....this ugly dreary stuff has to go OR I am going to have to get BIGGER BETTER happy pills.
Wishing you all bushels of sunshine!

tra·di·tion (tr-dshn) NOUN:
The passing down of elements of a culture from generation to generation, especially by oral communication

My favorite family tradition from my childhood was:
As a child my brothers and I would have hot cocoa (Hershey's that you make with sugar, milk on the stovetop) and peanut butter toast on Christmas morning.
This year I gave each of my brothers and their family enough Santa mugs for each of them along with the Hersheys cocoa and Jiff peanut butter. (Thanks to Barbara who finally found enough for me at Target! Love ya sis.)
Hope that everyone enjoyed their Santa mugs and the memories that they brough back and hopefully they even made some new ones.
Meery Christmas to all.....have a safe and blessed holiday. Love to all....and to all a good night! (The Barton boys were up at 438AM- YES, it was- they let us sleep until about 6! I am WHOOPED!!)

We went to the Jackson County Fairgrounds tonight. The light show was amazing....we went a few years ago when they first started it and it was pretty lame.
This year was GREAT! We loved it. Even though my darn camera batteries died on me.

Crazy?

YES, I am! The boys and I are heading to the mall, Walmart and maybea movie(HP). ( and lunch too) They have been cooped up for the entire week and need to get some fresh air! Run wild with the rest of the crazed folks! Go BOYS GO!

Need just a few more things to complete my shopping!! (which actually I could go without)

**Oh can I please have another teenager for Christmas, Santa? Mine has just announced he is going to become Jewish ! Many of his favorite actors, musicians and such are so he thinks it must be cool. Of course he is full of it!

HE IS A HOOT sometimes.

Christmas again

10 of 13 Grandkids !

(Steve's side of the tree)

December 2005

Purple Rain?

Purple Rain?
No, not Prince's Purple Rain. Purple rain is my new favorite cocktail. Michelle and I had them after shopping on our weekend shopping getaway and we are both addicted. I researched and found the recipe on the internet and we gave it a try this weekend. YUM! The picture shows the array of ingredients you need to make a PURPLE RAIN!
Purple Rain =Tequilla, Gin, Vodka, Rum, Triple Sec, Chambord and Sour Mixer to taste.

Santa Grandpa

Santa Grandpa 2005!
This picture was taken at our family Christmas gathering at Santa (Grandpa)'s house. My dad started growing this beard for hunting season and I just loved it. I knew the kids would love it for Christmas*time too!! Infact, my neice, Alyssa Kay(10), told her girlfriends "See! I told you that my Grandpa was Santa!" when he went with my brother to Alyssa's Christmas program at school.
I think the beard is stiking...maybe because I also was/am a huge Kenny Rogers fan?
So....meet my Santa daddy!
Merry Christmas!

waaaaaaaaaaaaah!

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah- I have had the day from H- E -Double hockey sticks! Work was NUTS, I was covering someone else's job again today while I watch my desk sink under the MEGA piles of to do's! Then I tried to go out and do some running at lunch to get prepared for our Christmas up north this weekend.....and my van has NO BLOWER (heat) NO MUSIC , THE POWER WINDOWS will not work and NO WIPERS! (Mind you it is snowing like mad....and I am doing a Wendy's run for half the office since all the weenies were scared to go out!) OH! all the accessories work if you do not turn the van all the way over.....either turn the key back or only one notch forward, SO if you put the van in neutral and shut it off the wipers work, etc...ROTFL) I drove to Wendy's grabbed lunch and went straight back to call and whine to Steve. Then on my way home from work, van still impaired it decided to GO ALL THE WAY with the 'disabled card' and went into what Chrystler refers to as 'limp mode'. This means you are now driving a vehicle that will not go over 40mph and shift out of 2nd gear! HELLLLO? I hear you all laughing! (It goes back to the dealership for the 4th visit for something having to do with the sensors- mind you it is still under the fcatory 36000 mile warranty!! ) C'mon it gets better....then I decide to make the cute little individual pizzas for everyone (easy clean up so I can move on to decorating cookies for all the parties tomorrow). As I was pulling #3 from the oven I caught the edge of the pan with the oven door, flipped it out of my hand and like a true dork...I tried to save the day with my no-oven gloved hand! WOW- this was the first time I ever considered going to the walk in clinic for a burn....I did it good....blisters and all.
Do you all feel better now that you have had a good laugh? I do.
Have a happy and safe weekend!

Last night the kids has their Christmas musical program....and oh did they look handsome!
Dakoda was a stage hand- and he handed out programs, Steven sang with the fourth and fifth graders and Jakob was a sheperd in the play. The program was wonderful! There was only one small hitch....a fourth grade girl finished the first song with a very upset tummy.....yes, she tossed her dinner all over and she just happened to be in the back row....many classmates were involved as they happened to be within her direct fire. The poor baby! However, the show did go on!

Who are these hansome men??

Handsome Barton men! Imagine? All in ties??

Cherish the times

As you all know we woke to mounds of the fluffy white stuff and school closings. Much to Lil Steve's surprise, they do not cancel work for Mom's too! I think he was used to me working at the school, hence when school was cancelled so was work for Mom. :-)
Jake of course, sleeping like a snuggling bear cub in for the winter knew there was no reason to come out of his snuggy bed....no school to Jake means more SLEEP and his favorite kind of day....LAZY DAY with no obligations.
Dakoda, my hard nosed teen, woke with a huge grin knowing there was no school as he had been laying in bed from 530am till 630am hoping and praying that any minute now I was not going to appear in their room chanting "time to get up and rise and shine" as I do on normal school days. He grabbed a bite of breakfast, bundled up and headed out to make a path for Mom to get to work. He cleared the driveway, cleaned off my van, warmed it up and made a path to the van for Mom! Then as I was bundling myself up he gave me a lesson on how to get out of the drive without getting stuck. (all from a 13 yr old that has never driven in snow himself) As I headed out on my journey to work, my cell phone rang only to hear Dakoda's sweet voice cheering me on for not getting stuck and wishing me a safe trip to work. Followed by a sweet request to call him when I was safely at work so we would not worry. Oh my what a sweet young man he is....and for those of you that know him otherwise.....see, it is all a BIG FRONT when he acts so rough and tough....he is one sweet young man! I sit here at my desk wishing I could go home and give that sweet boy another BIG kiss and sit on him hoping that would stop him from growing another inch! Oh these are the days I will cherish forever!!

12 step program needed

This is one reason I have NOT been bloggin....I think I need a 12 step program for the Stephanie Plum books written by Janet Evanovich. I cannot read them fast enough.....and each one ends with a cliff hanger making you eager to read the next one. I am on #7 of 11- Janet writes a new one and releases it in the summer.....I need to pace myself.....I will never make it until summer .....Janet.....write faster!

Back 2 Bloggin

Ok, I will do my best to get back to bloggin! Thanks Beth for the prodding and encouragement to get back into the bloggin groove. I had laid mine to rest but was surely enjoying all the others!! LOL

Happy Turkeyday

Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble gobble :-)
We had a nice day- woke up early to a white world outdoors, so we stayed cuddled in bed and looked at the paper. Did some pre-dinner haircutsand headed off to get Gram. We had a nice dinner at OCB then went to Gram's and hang out and have dessert. We had a wonderful carrot cake and icecream. (Thanks Aunt Shar for the carrot cake...it was GREAT!)
Dad was supposed to join us but the weather has delayed or hindered many from traveling! I know Chelle and her family was not able to make the adventure either to spend it with her Grandma.
We hope that you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration today!
I beleive I am off to shop for a bit before work tomorrow...I can shop from 5am- 7 ish...must have time to make the check out!
Happy Thanksgiving to all.- Kandi

let it snow

It looks more like Christmas outside today than Thanksgiving! The snow started today as we were leaving the house and to my belief it has not quit! Wow is it ever starting to pile up!
Here's wishing you all safe holiday travels! No traveling for the Barton's other than a trip across town to pick up Gram and go out for Thanksgiving dinner!! We will be celebrating at the 'trough' as so many like to refer to it...OCB around noon.
Looks like a good night to snuggle in and watch a movie! No work tomorrow... :-)
Happy and safe travels to all!

Busy weekend

What a 'wild' week /weekend. A very eventful week it was! followed by a busy weekend.
Steve and Koda went to deer camp with Kevan and Tim. No one came back with a deer but they saw some and had a good time. I took Jake and Steve to Chuck E. Cheese with Bill, Bridget, Alyssa and Katie. They had loads of fun.
On to the busy week that leads us to Thanksgiving....which also means Christmas is right around the corner. Work has been nuts, today was a typical Monday that was topped off by a wonderful surprise....4 handsome men showed up in my cubicle toting these.... a dozen beautiful different colored roses!
I have to give him credit, that man of mine, he still knows how to 'wow' me.

new to bloggin

Hey everyone. I am up and bloggin! I believe this will become a very useful tool for family and friends to keep up with the busy-ness of the Barton's.
For those of you trying to keep up....
House hunting is on hold, we were still recovering from the total let down we just went through (Bacon Rd house) as well as I am currently a deer hunter's widow. We are continuing to remain optomistic as we know there is a house out there for us...just not sure where it is. I feel a little pressured with Dakoda getting very close to high school days. We will find a house to call home sometime soon!
Sports are currently complete....however, Jake just announced he plans to play basketball. Sounds as though we will be up and going again soon.
Hunting , well no deer yet BUT it is only the eve of opening day. Tomorrow the pressure is on as Steve goes back to work on Thursday. However, the last big buck he took was from the Manistee National Forest which is Dad's deer camp. Steve and Dakoda are headed there on Friday night...hoping to BAG a BUCK! C'mon boys we need to fill the freezer!
School seems to be going very well this year. We are very pleased with the boys' success at a new school that has a uniform dress code too! Our first marking period was great, good grades by all, and terrific conferences!! Steven had a great report on his morals, all 4s, which gave him the priveldge to invite a person to a pasta luncheon. I went to that on my lunch hour on Monday. Hooray Steve!
I will attempt to keep you all up to date with the Barton busy-ness.
Mark your calendars Dec 13th is the Christmas musical for the boys 6pm.
watch for an upcoming update and thanks for visiting my blog! Kandi