On the 12th Day of Christmas....

....my true love gave to me



Twelve Days of Humming



Eleven Days of Typing
Ten Hours of Sleeping
Nine Logs Crackling
Eight Flowers Wilting
Seven Slots a Spinning
Six Bills I'm Paying
Five Pizza Things
Four Trivia Nerds
Three Bic Pens
Two Rubber Gloves



...........and a Picture of my Crazy Family!!

What a great way to end a great year............Happy New Year!

On the 11th Day of Christmas.....

....my true love gave to me



11 Days of Typing




Ten Hours of Sleeping
Nine Logs Crackling
Eight Flowers Wilting
Seven Slots a Spinning
Six Bills I'm Paying
Five Pizza Things
Four Trivia Nerds
Three Bic Pens
Two Rubber Gloves
and a Picture of my Crazy Family

On the 10th Day of Christmas....

....my true love gave to me



10 Hours of Sleeping



Nine Logs Crackling
Eight Flowers Wilting
Seven Slots a Spinning
Six Bills I'm Paying
Five Pizza Things
Four Trivia Nerds
Three Bic Pens
Two Rubber Gloves
and a Picture of my Crazy Family

On the 9th Day of Christmas....

....my true love gave to me



9 Logs Crackling



Eight Flowers Wilting
Seven Slots a Spinning
Six Bills I'm Paying
Five Pizza Things
Four Trivia Nerds
Three Bic Pens
Two Rubber Gloves
and a Picture of my Crazy Family

On the 8th Day of Christmas.....

.....my true love gave to me



Eight Flowers Wilting




Seven Slots a Spinning
Six Bills I'm Paying
Five Pizza Things
Four Trivia Nerds
Three Bic Pens
Two Rubber Gloves
and a Picture of my Crazy Family

On the 7th Day of Christmas.....

.....my true love gave to me



Seven Slots a Spinning



Six Bills I'm Paying
Five Pizza Things
Four Trivia Nerds
Three Bic Pens
Two Rubber Gloves
and a Picture of my Crazy Family

On the 6th Day of Christmas......

.....my true love gave to me



6 Bills I'm Paying



Five Pizza Things
Four Trivia Nerds
Three Bic Pens
Two Rubber Gloves
and a Picture of my Crazy Family

On the 5th Day of Christmas.....

my true love gave to me......



Five Pizza Things



Four Trivia Nerds
Three Bic Pens
Two Rubber Gloves
and a Picture of my Crazy Family

On the 4th day of Christmas......

....my true love gave to me

Four trivia nerds



Three Bic Pens
Two Rubber Gloves
and a Picture of my crazy family

On the 3rd Day of Christmas.....

.....by true love gave to me

3 Bic Pens



Two rubber gloves
and a Picture of my crazy family

On the 2nd Day of Christmas....

....my true love gave to me

Two rubber gloves



and a......

Picture of my crazy family

On the 1st Day of Christmas.....

Ok...sometimes you get a crazy thought in your head and then the more you think about it the more fun it sounds and the more you think you REALLY are going to do it.

Well that happened to me this morning. So I'm going to make my own version of the 12 Days of Christmas....but you're not going to get it all in one day.....you're going to get it in TWELVE DAYS. Now when you read each new verse, you must sing it in your head. I want everyone to enjoy the full effect.



I really wanted to do it on the original 12 Days of Christmas, but after researching it I found that the orginal days begin on December 25th. I'm not sure I'll still be as enthusiastic about this as I am right now -- so I need to get it started while the going's good.

So without further adieu......here we go!





On the first Day of Chritmas.....my true love gave to me:



A picture of my crazy family!

Can I get a Bah Humbug?

Some of my most fondest memories come from the Christmas Holidays. Remember when you were a kid and couldn't wait for that Christmas Day to come? The whole month of December was filled with that anticipation of the BIG day. You counted the days and you thought the 25th would never come.



Well......to live in my house right now, would make you think that it's just another regular day. There is no Christmas music, there is not one single decoration, and we haven't been to any stores busy with Christmas shoppers. What's wrong with us?

1. We're too busy running the business to get any of it done.

2. Now that the kids are bigger -- most of the fun is gone.

3. It seems more like a chore to clean, decorate, take down the decorations, and clean again. There is no extra time in our lives. If we put up the decorations -- we might not get to putting them away until April.



This next year the word that will choose to live by and believe in will be monumental in getting my life under control again (but you're not gonna find that out until next month when I reveal it) I miss all the hoopla about the holidays and feel like I'm nothing but a robot plodding through life.

So Feliz Navidad......today is the day I'll go into the attic and pull down that 2' fiberoptic Christmas tree that seems to be the only token of Christmas in this house the last 3 years. I'll listen to Christmas music all weekend and put me in the mood and I have already told my husband that we are taking Monday night off to get dressed up, go Christmas shopping, and pull ourselves into the fetivities.

Here I am again

Wow.....blogging. Definitely has taken a backseat in my life. Lots of things I would LOVE to blog about to keep you updated......but sometimes my duties get in the way.

Today has been a total waste. Well not really. I didn't get ANY of the PZ work done that I needed to, but did get to enjoy doing some things with my husband that were on our "to do" list.

First stop: both stores so he could make a food order.

Second stop: outlet mall. We had a 40% off coupon for the Reebok outlet store. My husband has REALLY big feet.....like size 15. It's hard to find shoes for him, but we are always lucky at the outlet store. I even picked up a pair of running shoes for my new workout regimen.

Third stop: Lunch. We had a pizza at one of the competitors down the street from our 2nd store. We heard they were REALLY good and wanted to try them out. Pizza looked awesome, but I think we're good competition for them.

Fourth stop: Sam's club. Had to get Christmas presents for the people that I need to mail to. SUCCESS!

Fifth stop: Grocery store. Having the sons and their friends over for taco night. I try to have them over every couple of weeks for dinner. I REALLY enjoy having them and visiting with them. I miss them. Will be lonely tonight because Leslie won't be here......but she is always close in our heart.

Sixth stop: home. Need to get the house a little cleaned up before all my company comes home.

I am so blessed. I have two wonderful sons and the world's greatest husband. Who cares that I didn't get any work done today?

Resolutions

I know it's only December, but I'm committed to a couple of resolutions that I've been trying to do for years.

First of all is to get in shape. I don't like being so heavy and don't like looking at the pictures that make me look fat.

So on Monday I began my exercise program.....and have even dragged my husband along. We're walking at least 30 minutes a day, changing our diet, and I even have fit in an extra 30-45 minutes exercise on my WII this week.



The goal is to lose 30 lbs. by February 1st. I would love to tell you why, but I can't. It's part of that secret blog that I told you about a couple of days ago.



I do want to say though that it's amazing how much more energy you have throughout the day when you've been up exercising and getting that blood pumping through your body.



I can't wait until I'm skinny again.

Tis the Season...

....of secrets.

It's so hard to keep secrets. But, this is the time of the year when it's okay to not tell people everything that you have going on.

I'm so excited.....right now I have 3 REALLY BIG HUGE secrets that I'm keeping.

Some people know 1 of them, a few people know another 1 of them, and only a couple of people know the last one. It's really hard to keep these secrets....but I enjoy the surprise when you finally get to reveal the secret.

Wanna know my secrets......stay tuned!

The Transformation

It's funny that you don't notice the changes of your child to an adult -- it's like all of a sudden you look at them and they've changed.

This week after experiencing much heartache, Aaron (the youngest) and I have bonded like never before. This week he demonstrated his compassion towards others, his "stepping up to the plate" when it was needed, and his tremendous love and sadness for Leslie.

We've hugged, we've cried, we've laughed, we've talked, and most importantly we have both learned how important it is to live your life to the fullest because there are no guarantees.

Thank you Aaron for showing me your romantic side when you talked about how your first kiss with Leslie was in Lake Charles on the riverboat deck. That truly melted my heart. Thank you Aaron for showing me how to be a man and shake hands with Leslie's father and pass your condolences when they hadn't hardly acknowledged you or your love for their daugher. That truly made me proud. And thank you Aaron for showing me your love and sharing the love you have for Mason and Leslie. I know it's been a very difficult week for you, but you've handled yourself with dignity, respect, and compassion and those are magnificent qualities for a good man.

I love you more than you know......thanks for helping me get through this with you.

Goodbye Leslie

Today is Tuesday, November 23rd. It's important to note that because I'm not sure when I'll actually get done writing all that I am feeling.

Needless to say, today has been extremely rough. Unbelievably rough. I've shed so many tears and given so many hugs, but there is still so many left to give and to receive. I'm sure over the next week we'll need them all.

Last night my son lost the girl that he loved. Also importantly, we lost the girl who loved my son. I think most of our tears have been over all the things that we've now missed out on. The plans that we made that won't happen. We are all so sad.

Leslie laughed loudly, had an innocence about her that kept us answering her crazy questions, and she deeply loved Mason and Aaron. I was so happy that Aaron now had someone to love, that loved him, and that would be taking care of him. It was one little less worry that I had. This quiet house would suddenly fill with noise once they arrived, but I was always glad to see them. I'll miss that noise. Leslie also made sure she gave you a hug before she left. I'll miss those hugs.



Thankfully, we got to spend our Sunday Thanksgiving dinner with our whole Texas family. We had the best time we've had in a very long time and thankfully those happy memories are the last that I have of being with Leslie. Today I had to clean out the refrigerator and get rid of some of the leftover food from Sunday. It crushed me to have to throw away the leftover pink salad that Leslie had brought for dinner. She was so excited to be contributing and had been so happy that we had all raved about her salad. I cannot keep the salad forever, but knowing how happy she was to bring it -- makes me smile when I remember. I know, it's silly to be sad over a salad -- but when someone leaves suddenly you think of the small stuff.

So today we say goodbye to Leslie. I am so thankful for the short time that we really got to know who you were, the love that you showed for Mason, and for all your excitement, enthusiasm, and love you gave Aaron. We will all miss you so much and we truly felt like you were part of our family. I looked so forward to our trip to Charming Charlies, our Christmas we were going to spend together, and getting to be a part of Mason's 3rd birthday. I know that you were working so hard to get your life back together, but you never got angry, depressed, or sad about things -- you just kept charging forward with your positive attitude knowing that everything would work out in the end.



I love you Leslie -- you will truly, truly be missed by my family. Most importantly, please watch over Aaron and Mason. They both love you so much and will probably miss you more than anyone.

P.S. Leslie your rings are still sitting on my kitchen windowsill where you left them. I can't bear to move them yet as it reminds me of our "girl" time cleaning the kitchen.

A different Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving will be a little different around here than most of the other years. For one thing, instead of it being a quiet little meal with 4-6 of us -- it will be around 10 of us and 3 of those children under the age of 3.



Actually, I'm kind of looking forward to it. Year after year Paul tells me I cook way too much food -- so maybe this year I'll get it right.

The other thing that is going to make this Thanksgiving different is that it will be held on Sunday, November 21st. Why you ask? Well the oldest son is supposed to go to Tucson (don't think it's going to happen - he hasn't even gotten tickets yet), the youngest child might have some obligations on his girlfriend's side of the family, and Paul and I are taking an extremely mini-vacation.

Last year we had a crazy Thanksgiving spent with these people. We loved it -- it was just too stressful because it was so short and we felt like we were constantly moving the whole time.



Well anyways....this Thanksgiving Paul and I will be enjoying the adventure of Sea World in San Antonio. I won 4 tickets in the summer time -- Aaron and Leslie used two of them and Paul and I are going to use the other two. We found out they were open on Thanksgiving Day and thought that would be the perfect day. Not too hot, not too crowded, and we don't have to worry about out business being taken care of because we're closed.



So, as you can see, we have big plans and expect to have a great Thanksgiving Day on Sunday. I think I'm gonna drag out some old group games and make everyone play.....I can hear the complaining now!!!

Freedom

Well life has been so busy that I haven't had the opportunity to visit the creative side of myself as much lately.

Tonight is a busy Friday night at Pizza Zone and I'm home alone just getting back from the grocery store. How different it is going to the store and shopping for two. How different it is to finally only think of mine and Paul's likes and not on what everyone else in the household would want.

It was a long time coming, but we finally have that "empty nest" that we've been waiting for. It's funny because when I saw other people with their grown children at home, I was critical. I guess when you're in the situation you don't see it the same as everyone else. I never have viewed my children as adults. They are still the same sweet little boys, part of our "three Musketeers", and who my whole world revolved around for so many years.



But now the times have changed. I am finally free of the stress of their lives. I am free of the tug-of-war between trying to keep them happy and try to keep my husband happy as well. I am free of all the stress of trying to keep everyone's life running. I am now free to run my own life.



What a tremendous burden that has been lifted off of me -- and I am so happy.

Suddenly our little house seems bigger and now my husband has to fulfill all those promises for "when the kids move out". Time to remodel, refloor, repaint, and redecorate our whole EMPTY house!



What fun we are having!

Busy, busy, busy

Hi remember me?

Well life is REALLY busy right now -- but that's a good thing!

Things are hopping and not stopping and we're busy like little bees. Too busy in fact -- but I think we've finally found that pot at the end of the rainbow.

After a year of struggling, stress, and every other emotion -- our Grant Rd. store is finally getting a few breaks. We now have a total of 3 -- yes THREE schools signed up to do school nights with us. This is a big deal!

But that means extra work -- but it also is a marketing gift. This is the best way to get our pizza in the people's hands and let them see how great it is.

So hallelujah and some of our hard work is now paying off!

On the homefront -- things changing here too! But, I can't stop now I've got to attend a webinar in 10 minutes, get some paperwork caught up, get my monthly e-mail finalized to send out, and help Paul work on a doorhanger so that the staff can go out doorhanging tomorrow......

whew......it never ends --- but I am so happy!

Lollipops and Roses

Not everything is always lollipops and roses in life.

Lately the stress has piled on top of me and it's time to get it out.

Maybe it's the working until 2-3am and getting up at 8am and starting all over again that's finally catching up.

Maybe it's that the harder I work -- the more I get behind. The more I get behind the more I see no end in sight.

It's like quicksand -- the harder you work at getting out of it -- the more you sink.

I feel like everything in my life right now is out of control.



The house is a mess.....no wait -- a DISASTER

My workload is too much -- and I'm WAY behind in some things that need to be done.

I have too much stuff to do and not enough time.

Everyday is spent putting out the most important fires and the daily task list is just too long.

Am I in a slump? Is this going to pass?



Okay.....enough of the pity party -- let's get to work! Wow......I feel better.

Today's agenda

Busy, busy, busy......it's that time of the year

We're full of ideas -- just not enough time to get them all done



Today's agenda:
1. Fold, stuff, stamp and mail 250 envelopes (marketing)
2. Catch up on daily paperwork and make bank deposits
3. Catch up general journal entries in QuickBooks
4. Pay Pizza Bills that are due
5. Mail out new customer packets
6. Fix both my printers (they both crapped out in one day)
7. Get boxtoppers printed and cut for both stores
7. Laundry
8. Something for dinner

This is an aggressive list -- and not likely to get done in one day.

How lucky I am that I have so much to do and don't have to worry about sitting around all day crying how bored I am.




Anyone want to come and help?

just posting

Have lots to post about -- but not the creative energy to put it together and get it on here.

Just feeling fabulous today and want to record it. Life is good, I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life, and I feel so lucky.

Paul and I are busy working on things for the business -- got lots of projects coming up like our Food Drive, Halloween Contest, Comic Book Day, next Pizzas of the Month, new menus and new pricing, and lots of marketing......but we feel good and ready to tackle our tasks.

I'm so fortunate to not have an 8-5 job, owning our own business (with TWO locations), getting to work side-by-side building our life and our future with my husband, and all the other things that make my life wonderful.

Wow........is this great or what?

Sprouting - Day 4

Yes.....success!

The sprouts are ready. We've rinsed them, drained them, and bundled them up and they're chilling in the refrigerator all ready to top a fresh salad or delicious sandwich.



It was so fun watching their progress every day. They went from some seeds soaking in a jar to these lovely green sprouts! In fact, everyone that came in the house was always checking them out and marveling at something so simple could grow so quickly.

Well now that it's all over......there's already a new jar set up and ready for the new crop!