oneredhonda

Ace Hardware on 9/14

For the first time EVER, I am going to have to work Black Friday and Christmas Eve. But If I don't have to be in until 8 am maybe I can Shop on the way to work!!

This will be my 16th year!! We started when we got married and for years and years the only way we could afford to get every one a nice present at Christmas was Black Friday.

Black Friday is normally part of the Thanksgiving holiday for me. BUT every year they change the holiday schedule a little. We used to have Christmas eve off but we do not any more. This year we have Christmas day off and then the day after Christmas because it is a Friday (??). I am glad we have a holiday for BF because my work only allows so many people off at one time. This year I requested Christmas eve thru Jan 2nd off as vacation time in January of 2008 and they have still not decided who can be off and who has to work!! They are doing the same thing for Thanksgiving too, people who requested Monday Tuesday or Wednesday off still do not know if they are going to be allowed to be off. Normally they only let about 2 or 3 (some time as many as 4 off at a time) out of about 50 employees so getting any vacation time approved is VERY FRUSTRATING!!

Last year was awful!! My husband and I worked hard (when money was VERY tight) to get something for all of the 15 kids we had to buy for (10 nieces and nphfew's and 5 cousins... we only do presents for the kids) but only 2 of them actually liked what they got. The rest did not even say thank you and at least 5 of them asked for there presents to be sent home with a parent and did not even come to the Christmas party. We decided on Christmas day last year that this year we are buying every one gift cards. I do not like them but last year was a terrible waste of time, energy and money. It was a very disapointing Christmas. So I gess my hits were Battleship and a purse. The misses were mp3 player, cabage patch, little pet shop, hand held football game, fisher price doctor set ect there was so much!!

Last year I got a book of Lifesavers. This year we got our merit increases reinstated (there has been no increases of any kind in almost 3 years) so I got 3% and that is for 2 years with out an increase.

Well I am disappointed

My husband normally helps me.. But it is not that hard! at 350 15-22 lbs 3 1/2 to 4 hrs unstuffed. We normally just sprinkle salt and pepper on the outside and then rub salt and pepper on the inside and bake it. If you are going to pre carve (not bring it to the table whole), try cooking it upside down. This way the brest is on the bottom and it will stay moister! The only thing is that when you do it that way it is not very pretty as the top will not be brown like the pictures of turkeys!! IF you get stuck call the butterball people!!! They have trained people ready to help you 1-800-butterball They are available 8 to 8 CT this week 8 to 6 CT this weekend 8 to 8 CT Mon, Tues and wed next week and 8 to 6 CT Thanksgiving!!

We went to Target to get the $4.99 toy deals and then we went to Walmart to see if there was a differance in some other things we were looking at. Some prices were lower at Target than at walmart. In a couple of cases walmart was still lower but only my a few cents! I think I will shop at Target this year and not walmart. The Target store is nicer and the staff is friendlier!!

We have my grandmas and my mom's family on Christmas eve. Then there is our house (husband, son and I) FIRST thing on Christmas day. My husbands family early afternoon on Christmas day. My dad's family Christmas is usually a day or two after Christmas.

My son is now 10 and he informed me over the summer that there is no Santa. I was crushed! When I was growing up my parents didn't do Santa, presents were from mom and dad. When my husband and I had our son, we started the Santa tradition. We went so far as to buy different wrapping paper for the Santa presents and dispose of all evidence that we were the ones. Then there was a horrible mistake 2 years ago. We had purchased him a fooze ball table and because it was like in a hundred pieces we decided to put it together on Christmas eve. My husband and I were busy putting it together (at about 1 in the am) when he came down stairs and opened the door to our room where we where putting it together. We promptly put him back in bed but the next day the questions started. We explained that Santa brought the present but that he wanted us to put it together. We thought he had accepted that. This summer he told me that there was no Santa and he said that the reason he didn't was because he saw us putting the fooze ball table together. I tried to tell him that we were just putting it together for Santa but he did not buy it! He told me that last year he was playing along for me. He is growing up!!

I haven't been to kohls on black friday before but I know what you mean about those lines. One year I was stuck in the check out line for Best Buy for more than an hour and a half. NOW my husband and I go together. One goes and gets what is needed and the other goes and stands in the check out line! We did that last year and we were in and out of best buy in under 20 min.

A Christmas Story It is a tough choice but I love that movie!! We are the Bumpuses of our neighborhood (we have 3 hound dogs).

I was just thinking the same this this AM!! CANT WAIT FOR BF!!! I did sign up for some freebies though!!

cool!!