Happy Birthday BETH-

welcome home- had to wait until you were here to enjoy......

eHappy Birthday Friend!!

Happy 86th Birthday Gram

We celebrated Gram's 86th birthday yesterday - she hadloads of fun and received loads of goodies. We captured a few great pictures!! We gave her one of the electronic photo frames and a bunch of preloaded pics for her to enjoy!

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all !!
Enjoy your blessings today !!

and a favorite quote of mine.............
"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. "~Dr. Seuss

What is this?

A new baby in my house??? I offered to babysit for friends of ours that have a new baby and 3 other kids so they could try to get some Christmas shopping accomplished together!! Gaven is just 3 weeks old - oh how I forgot how sweet babies are.
Koda loved holding and talking to Gaven....well until he cries, poops, spits, etc. He was so funny holding and talking to the baby!! Jake held him briefly but more loved to just watch him!!

" he has ten tiny fingers!" what a dork Koda can be....imagine that...fingers?
"Wow, I think I would like another one now! " NOT Mr Barton- we are TOOOOOOOOOOOO old and we have both been altered!! LOL

"does he just sleep?"

That was our fun and excitement yesterday!! Today I started very early 645am at Meijer- groceries and last minute things!!

Tomorrow and Tuesday belong to us......except Steve is working today and tomorrow.

Christmas traditions............Movies or bowling on Christmas afternoon!!

new email

Have the new 'bundle' installed.....my new email is 5bartons@comcast.net
It was like Christmas here today a week early.....new cable channels....speedy cable internet .......and unlimited long distance!!
Late night....wrestling meet tonight! Koda did a great job but lost his match!! I told him to pretend the opponent is Jake or Steve and he will kick butt!! LOL

Pretty in Pink

Isn't she cute? I have to laugh- thinking soon I need to change my blog name to Riley's blog

....sorry boys!

Well, we survived the weekend travels- our venture home on Sunday was less than fun!! Our normal 2 hour trip lasted well over 3 !! 127 was one lane of somehwat plowed yet drifty snow....ugh. A semi in front of us almost lost it....but HE must have been watching over this driver and his load because he amazingly recovered - although I can tell you- it made him slow down a bit and think!!

I left my memory card in the pc - as I had put in in to clear the card and forgot about it- we got to the Christmas celebration and I pulled out my camera to find- NO CARD! UGH. I let my brother take the pics....but I think we missed many! ugh. I SOOO miss the group shots but with the older kids they seem to come and go as quick as they can. Hopefully Bill will share those that he did get!!

Wrestling meet at home this week- wednesday. Koda is kind of pumped....he hopes to wrestle the same guy he did at the last meet against them because it was a tight match but Koda lost. He thinks he can do better...we will see. It is fun seeing him strive to learn something new- he is normally the kid that does not like to adventure out and try new things if he does not think he can master it quickly.

**Our email is going to change soon!! I will post again and email everyone. I am switching to comcast cable....their bundles deals are amazing and will save me a chunk every month!! Phone, cable tv and internet for $99 !! Mom, ,my phone service will now include unlimited long distance so I will be canelling TransWorld too.

Better get ready to go to work....1/2 day today as I had to go do 'the girly appt' today. Made the appt for 830am was out by 10 and went shopping at Meijer. Spent my Christmas cash from Foote. They had the Crop In Style XXL Tote on clearance for 50.00!! (The big square box one- hoping I can fill it and clean up my computer area!!) Sorted out lots for a lady at work- he daughter is just getting started and Mom is a single Mom....and I had so much that I no longer use.....filled a box with paper and one with goodies!! Pay it forward!!

busy weekend ahead

Christmas with my family this weekend. (- minus my snowbird mom and her hubby- enjoying warm temps in TX!!) Thinking we should have gone there for Christmas!!
Tonight travel up.
Tomorrow brunch with family and gifting!!
Taking Alyssa to the mall to shop for her daddy.
Making dinner for my Dad- he is hankering for sketti!! Cooking for one is no fun and a pot of sketti is tough to make for just one.
Going to see the musical Christmas lights in Grand Haven.
Sunday- home and work!! PAYROLL!!

Look who is not going to be left behind!! Packing to go away this weekend and she made a bed in my totebag!! So then I carried her around in it as I was packing and she loves it!! Silly girl. ( and just a note- her head is NOT squished....just looks that way!! LOL)

Have a great weekend everyone.

catchin up

WWE here I come!!



Grandma- here are a couple of shots of Jake at his band concert.

What a Sunday. The boys hung the lights outdoors .

Mom, Steve outlined the peak of the house with Grandma's purple lights. He thought I would enjoy the memory!! :-) good boy!!

Riley could not stand being inside missing all the fun so we bundled her up in her fleece coat from Grandma and she got to go outside for a little while. (tonsillitis and an upper resp infection? ugh!)

I just love my wreath...it is a fresh one that Paragon was selling.

I baked for a few hours yesterday(wearing my snowman apron my mom made me)....peanut butter fudge from scratch....a little stumped when the recipe suggested I cook the base until it reached the soft ball stage? I asked Steve and he could only tell me that a soft ball was a little bigger than a baseball, no help. I guess my guess was ok because it is soft, creamy very yummy peanut butter fudge. We also baked sugar cookies and candy cane bark. Tonight I made cowboy cookies, snow swirled fudge, and Cheerio bars and the kids decorated 3 dozen sugar cookies. (Mom, Steve was coloring frosting tonight with food coloring for the kids....and he made purple frosting accidentally.....the boys were all certain there was a reason....like the lights on the house......Grandma is watching over and helping us decorate this year!! Grandpa must be golfing?)

Have just 2 more kinds of cookies to make before Saturday....snowballs for Bill and mint chocolate chip cookies for Tim! (brothers)

Great Concert

Ladies- I shared the pictures...did you get the invite from Snapfish? Let me know.
I love my new camera- could not believe the awesome pics I got! Thank you Santa!!
The concert for those who read and were not along for the fun...Jake Owen, Little Big Town and Sugarland. AWESOME show.
I must say- I think I felt my age on Friday!! The concert got over around 11 so I was in bed around midnight but up for work at 5am- this OLD lady felt like I had a hangover all day on Friday- work was NO FUN!! I felt tired and whiny all day. ( YES! Mom, just like the old days after a slumber party- remember those days girls?)


YUMMY Jake Owen

Little Big Town

Sugarland

I finally have a start on my Christmas shopping. Steve and I went again this morning. I took back the BIG item that I had ordered online- but found THE ONE that I REALLY wanted today. Yeah, that helped me get in the Christmas mood. Still have a long way to go.
Christmas is next weekend at my brother Bill's house. (Mom, have your phone charged and ON - we will call after NOON)

My baby girl is sick. She started acting weird Thursday night- coughing, gagging, etc. Still doing it on Friday-Steve took her to the vet- they kept her until 530- xrays showed no obstruction- she has tonsillitis and an upper respiratory infection! Antibiotics, steroids x 7 days and back for a checkup next Friday. I never thought that she would be so much like having another kid!

Hope you all have an awesome weekend!

What's new?

Haircuts....Wrestling....Koda's new talents... UGH.

Check out how much hair Steve lost.

Christmas shopping Sat for a short bit- just Steve and I....and Santa Steve bought me my present- a new camera. LOVE IT. Hope to get loads of pics on Thursday at the concert. (now Steve can use my old one to take pics at Jake's concert too!!) and pics of all the kids and family next weekend!! I have a 8.1 megapixel with a 7x optical zoom....much more than I had!! :-)