When I Wasn't Here....

*Tap, tap* Is this thing on?

It's been kind of quiet on the Blog of Dysfunction, but not at the Casa de Dysfunction.

I'll give you a brief rundown on what's been going on around here. Sort of like Shit I Did When I Wasn't Here, but nowhere near as cool. Because, hello? She's, ya know, The Bloggess. And I'm, ya know, not.

There have been Karaoke Nights, Double Baby Showers, Sixteenth Birthday Parties, Drag Shows, Epic Meltdowns, Bonfires, Concerts.

This is all in the past week.

Back in the woods where we live, there's a saying: It's not a party till the cops show up.

Last week we had a party.

There has been fighting and making up and breaking up. Strengthening relationships. Cutting ties.

My son Tim and I spent Thanksgiving at home, just the two of us. It was awesome. I cooked way too much food, and we enjoyed each others' company. It was a unique experience that will probably never happen again, and I enjoyed it.

And I am totally exhausted! I am on day 3 of 4 days off work, after working 9 days in a row. Getting a paycheck for a job that I LOVE is one of the best feelings EVER.

And I'm off to try to catch up with you.....and then I think it's time for a NAP!!

*Me & My BFF*

Friday Night Fragging....

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone. It was a nice one for us overall.
My oldest son spent most Thanksgiving day with his girlfriend, which reminded me that (a.) I'm getting old and (b.) not only will I always have to share holidays with the kids' dad, but eventually their spouses, in-laws, etc. I vow to never be the one stressing them out and demanding time....if we need to celebrate a holiday the day before the holiday or the weekend after, so be it. It's all about being together anyway!




So now after a busy week with a full house, I am all alone. John is at work and the kids are with their dad for the weekend. Instead of rushing around getting things done and trying to talk to at least three people at one time, I'm sitting in a quiet house, just me and one dog, watching What Not to Wear. I'm trying to decide whether to clean the house and enjoy it not getting dirty again immediately, eat dinner without interruption, take a shower and actually have time to shave my legs....or just take a nap!



Speaking of the dog.....earlier today, Sofia chewed up a tube of Krazy Glue! Now this is the dog who gets into food a lot....she's eaten 2 birthday cakes and several loaves of bread. But she's never eaten/chewed on anything that wasn't food before. I don't know what got into her! She's fine, but it was pretty amusing to watch her when her lips were all sticky and stiff.




Have you started your Christmas decorating yet? I'm thinking of starting this weekend....



Did you do the Black Friday thing? I didn't...I don't...ever. I'm afraid I'd end up getting arrested. I have a serious lack of patience, I hate crowds, and I hate rude people. I just don't think it would be pretty! I drives John crazy because he loves to shop, and the thought of all the deals we're missing out on just breaks his heart. So I told him next year, he's welcome to go by himself! We'll see if that happens......


Speaking of shopping......on Wednesday I scored a Vera Bradley wristlet at a thrift shop for four bucks! Now THAT is my kind of shopping!




I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday & I hope you have a great weekend!

Visit Mrs 4444s for more Friday Fragments.

Total Randomness

All day Tuesday, it felt like Friday. It was the last day of school for the kids for the week. I don't understand why the county doesn't just go ahead and cut out Monday & Tuesday and call it Fall Break.
Back in my day, we were only out on Thursday & Friday. These kids have it made!



The kids are with me for Thanksgiving this year. My son, whose time is split 2/3 between me and his dad, came over today and will stay till Friday, but he is most likely going to his girlfriend's house for Thanksgiving dinner. It was his idea to come over for these 3 days, and that made me very happy. I love that my teenage son still likes spending time with his family. He also really enjoyed Andrew's soccer tournaments this past weekend and has been making a real effort to spend time with Andrew lately. I'm proud of that kid!



We're spending Thanksgiving with the in-laws, the brits, this year. It's kind of funny that they celebrate Thanksgiving, since they were born & raised in England and still cling tightly to their English traditions & ways. But they aren't going totally traditional - we're having ham instead of turkey. That's fine with me. My emphasis on Thanksgiving is more on remembering to be Thankful, not clinging to the traditional story of the Native Americans happily sharing their land and food with the Pilgrims. Give me a freaking break.




I am blogging from my bed. I finally have internet service at home for the first time in forever. I can't tell you how happy I am to be sitting in my own bedroom blogging! Life is good!

Fragtastic Friday

I'm all mixed up because of the holidays, and when I realized it was Friday and I could Frag, I got so excited! So without further delay......let's Frag.

~ I may live in Florida, but it's snowing on my blog. Look closely and you'll see it! I found out about that effect from my friend Manic Mother. I got my new winter design from Hippo Scraps Blog Layouts. Isn't it adorable??

~ Shannon at The Nut House has the coolest thing going on! She is donating one canned good for each comment she receives on this post, to her local food bank! I think this is fabulous and I would love to see her get tons of comments on that post!

~ We celebrated Thanksgiving at my parents' house yesterday. My contributions to the spread of food were: Black Eyed Pea Dip, Rice Krispy treats (with butterscotch chips mixed in, and turkeys on each one that were made of candy corn & icing. so cute & I forgot to get a pic!), fordhook lima beans, and dinner rolls in the shape of a turkey (courtesy of Publix).

~ We had a great time. I missed the kids (mine were with their dad for the holiday & Andrew was with his grandmother). But they will be back tomorrow! Two of my aunts were visiting along with my cousin and her family. And of course my sister & niece were there along with my niece's boyfriend. We all LOVE to laugh so there was much laughter going around!

~ We also love to take pictures!

Me & John =)

this is my cousin, sister, niece, and aunt (clockwise from left)

Same crazy group

my dad and two of his sisters

my cousin's adorable daughter, M.

~ Quick story about M - her older brother hit her in the face with a (soft) ball. She wanted to hit him back, but her mom said "no way! you'll break his glasses!" so she looked at her brother, dead serious, and said "B, will you take off your glasses?"
I nearly fell off the chair!

~ Tomorrow is an interesting day. It's the day of the Florida Gators vs. Florida State Seminoles football game. It's also the last game that our seniors will play on their home field, "The Swamp". Including our amazingly gorgeous quarterback, Tim Tebow. It will be a very emotional day. It may also be FSU's coach's last visit to The Swamp, as this is most likely his last year coaching. FSU is a huge rival for us. They aren't nearly the team they used to be, but the emotion is still there. We have relatives coming in from out of town. ESPN Game Day will be at The Swamp. Some of my family will be there, the rest will be watching on TV. It's going to be a good time!


~ Two reminders: My UPrinting Thank You Card giveaway ends on Monday. There are VERY few entries, so get in on it before it ends - your odds are very good!
Also, in case you missed it, I'm starting a Random Acts of Kindness carnival/meme/theme, whatever you want to call it. I'm considering doing it every Tuesday, but not completely certain. Anyway, be sure to post about your Random Acts of Kindness and link up here! The holidays are the perfect time to be practicing Random Acts of Kindness & brightening the lives of others. Um and if anyone wants to do a RAK for me? Make me a button for this carnival!


~ Have a wonderful weekend, and as always, check out Half Past Kissin' Time for more Fabulous, Fantastic, Fragalicious Friday Fragments!