Back to work

Took this last night on my way to pick the boys up from wrestling- YES I went because I needed OUT of the house. :-) Although it is more white stuff, isn't it pretty?

I worked until 1pm today! I am now home and headed for a rest- not sure it'll be a nap- but resting at home.

Happy Wednesday

ick

Been home now for 2 days with a flu bug. I beleive it started on Sunday- feeling icky and kind of worn out- thenthe bug hit Monday morning!! I was in bed all day - only up to cruise to the bathroom- and for me that is a sign it is BAD STUFF. I usually can do laundry here and there, dishes? something when home on a sick day. Today- still a temp, headache and going to try to put something back in me....trying instant postatoes? sprite? So far since Sunday- great diet plan- 1/2 piece of dry toast and a 1/4 bottle of water......





Better subject. Koda had a meet on Sat- he took 4th place in his weight class....he sure found some strong dudes at this invite....one opponent was tossing him around like a ragdoll...literally both feet off the ground. He wrestled a kid from Lumen that he plays football with in the summertime out in the field - this pic is the 2 of them- they were harassing one another back and forth prior to the match. It was fun.


Hope everyone is enjoying the bright white blanket of snow....looks like Michigan winter is back.

Fun

Wrestling, wrestling and more wrestling! We have been busy running wrestlers to and fro and heading to invites and meets. Koda is doing great. Although last night did not include a win or medal...he did GREAT! He stayed on top- and was ahead with points (10-4)- but unfortuately he did not realize he had just 30 seconds left and he would have won by points.....he tried to change positions and get a pin...but he lost his footing and wound up pinned. :-(







Hurt his foot just after this....trainer thought he may have cracked the bone- quick bruising and pain...but it appears it is truly a bruise. (knee to side of foot- not a great pair!)




Jake went to a practice for the middle school wrestling team- loved the workout but not the sport. He tried it and said it just isn't his sport of choice....whew! I was concerned and beginning to worry where I would find a size 13.5 wrestling shoe!! ha ha (I love www.zappos.com) Actually his brother is still trying to talk him into trying oe more practice...we will see?

Saturday all day meet at East Jackson. Hoping for a win!! (and a healed up foot)

No school tomorrow- yeah me! I get to sleep in! woo hoo, a whole extra hour!!

(I will post results and more pics soon, Mom!! love ya)

Nothing too exciting

Not much going on here....a little pooped out this week.

So glad that tomorrow is Friday!! AHHH I am ready!! Had some huge things going on at work and missing a day for a migraine did not help.
Planning for Spring Break '08....heading to FL this year! Debating on what we will do...Universal? Epcot? MGM? Sea World? Anyone been to any of them - any opinions?

Low key weekend planned for most- well Jake has a full schedule Sat!! 2 parties almost back to back!!

Ugh

How was your day? This sums mine up......

+ =

Started with a headache that definitely made me think.... Migraine? I get the yawns and have vision issues when one is coming on.....for well over a year I have had them under control first with meds now without....I decided it was not bad enough to call it a sick day so I took Jake & Cory (Jake's friend) to school....it continued to worsen as we drove....and on my way back I was contemplating going to work or back to bed as my eyes were about to burst out of my noggin....when I was rounding the curve downtown near my office I heard a 'thump, thump' noise- turned off the radio and it got louder, more frequent - "Darn it- at almost 38 yrs old I have my first flat!" Well, now what? I called my knight in a shiny silver Ford 4x4 to come save his maiden in distress. He appeared in the down pouring rain and darkness and took me home, gave me drugs, where I went back to bed for 2 hours and slept off the headache - or the worst of it. I feel better but am still light sensitive somewhat so I am staying home. When he gets done at work we need to go rescue my wounded beast!!

Hope you had a better day than me.

Is vacation over already?

I am truly sad that vacation is over. I so enjoy getting up every morning at 615 and being alone to putt around and get ready!!
Tomorrow should be a challenge to get 3 kids up and ready for school. UGH. Doing our best to try to get things prepared and ready before morning.
Busy but low key day......laundry, cooking, some groceries, a visit to Gram and cleaning house....the norm?

Found this awesome recipe when searching for a soup recipe to make this week.
It was a HIT! One bowl and a breadstick they were stuffed. (the breadsticks were taunting my boys all weekend so they had to have one with soup- yummy bags of breadsticks from Sam's Club) Had great salad made up to go with this but no one could eat another bite!! Plenty left for lunch this week or another meal!!

Baked Potato Soup

Week at a glance- school, dentist appt for Steve Sr, wrestling practice daily for Koda -meet on Wed and tournament on Sat, Jake has 2 bday parties on Sat to go to, lots of vacation plans to make for Spring Break!! Florida bound !!

Better get back to my cleaning and laundry.............have a great week back to school.

SILVER

Koda took the silver (2nd place) today at the tournament at Sexton. It was GREAT!
Still trying to learn the camera and the flash in the gymnasium lighting.....but below are some pics.

Have you.........

chosen your word for 2008?

http://aliedwards.typepad.com/

My word for 2008 is SIMPLIFY
I seem to always worry about the little things and forget about what's really important!Therefore, I want to strive to Simplify my life, expect less out of everyone and and just enjoy what life brings and what others have to offer.

What will yoou word be?

TGIF

• Took today off as I worked last Sunday and accumulated OT - they asked me to take a comp day off. Twisted my arm, I squealed 'UNCLE' (remember that?) and chose FRIDAY!! I have a 3 day weekend...woo hoo (doing the happy dance)
  
• Started by sleeping in - 7am




• Made applesauce pancakes




• got a couple loads of laundry done
  
• went to Walmart to shop for wrestling snacks
• used my GC from my hubby - a new set of french nails - ooh la la
• off to meet Dad and Gram for lunch at OCB

YUM

I must share a very YUMMY cookie recipe that I discovered this holiday season.

Dreamsickle Cookies

1/2 cps brown sugar * 1 tsp baking soda*
3/4 cp shortening *1 1/2 tsp baking powder*
2 eggs *3 cps all-purpose flour*
1 tsp vanilla extract *1/2 tsp salt*
1/2 cp buttermilk* 1 tsp butter or margarine*
1 cp white chocolate chips*
3 TBSP Tang, orange breakfast drink mix *White frosting

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease baking sheets. Cream the shortening and the sugar together until light. Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk. Add the buttermilk mixture, salt, 3 TBSP Tang, flour ad baking powder to the shortening mixture. Mix well. Stir in the white chocolate chips. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared sheets. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Frost when cooled.
Frosting- Mix 3 TBSP Tang with the white frosting.
Makes 4 dozen.

Happy 2008 to you

A new FLUFFY (VERY thick) blanket of snow came to help us bring in the new year!! The first time in 17 years of being in Jackson that Steve and I actually went out on a New Years Eve- AND ugh was the drive home a NIGHTMARE! (or I am just too damn old) There were NO roads plowed at 130AM!! But a normal 20 minute drive turned into - an hour and two aching shoulders later - but I was HOME! incident and accident free!! woo hoo!!

Here are some snow shots from today!





The Barton's wish you and yours and wonderful 2008 with much health and happiness!!

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!

***********************************************************

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!! :-)