Gramma’s potato peelers!
Year: 2021
Shopping small this year!
Y’all know I love me some Amazon…but big box stores will not care about you the way small business owners will because, unfortunately, you don’t mean that much to them.
Spending $100 at a large retail or department store during the holidays won’t make much difference to anyone—but spending $100 through a home business or small local business owner for the holidays means OUR business CAN continue! It gives us our pay, provides for our families, and helps us continue to do what we love without using harsh sales techniques.
You mean the world to us and in return we’ll treat you like gold! Just ask my clients who got $700+ worth of bonuses so far this month!!
Shop a home/direct sales/small local business for the holidays this year!! Tom and I just spent a few hundred at local Grayling businesses (h/t to Tip’n the Mitten). And silly me, I didn’t take a pic of our haul…but there was a bit of locally brewed beer, cider, and wine!
Gramma and Katie cuddles
Thanksgiving 2021
All of the googly eyes make this delicious appetizer tablescape perfect.
Katie’s down another tooth!
Katie has had a loose tooth for quite some time. Of course, it became critical an hour after bedtime at gramma’s.
It was hanging by the tiniest string and of course she refused to pull it or to let us pull it. She wanted us to try and cut it (like David did with another of her loose teeth recently) so Tom was prepared…
But he ended up just pulling it out!
Skincare doesn’t stop on vacation!
She’s not spoiled or loved.
Anna and David are watching Maggie while we go to Michigan for Thanksgiving. Anna sent me this pic of the boys as soon as they got up.
And then at bedtime, in Anna and David’s bed.
Cousins!
And a throwback:
You know it’s a successful road trip when…
We found the stinkbugs.
Tom unrolled the sliding door blinds and found these. Gross.
$7900 in 23 days!
And some lovely words from a friend:
New blanket for Maggie
Maggie wanted under this blanket so she kept pawing at it until we helped her under…
Owen’s P/T conferences blew us away.
We just had Owen’s parent/teacher conferences and his teachers ALL had amazing things to say—they all commented on his attitude, empathy, helpfulness, friendliness, kindness, work ethic, class participation, grades…everything. After the shitshow of last year, we could not be happier or more proud.
I managed to record a snippet of his math teacher taking about him and this literally just scratches the surface of all the amazing things they said about him…
JTOK is officially mine!
I lost my front TARDIS plate, though, since Illinois has both front and back plates.
I love when she drags her blanket.
I’m so done with Halloween candy.
Or should I say candy wrappers ALL OVER.
Baby Owee at 9 months.
OMG. This is one of my all time favorite pics of baby Owee. He was 9 months old.
Midday snuggles!
YAFD
Yet Another Friend Dinner! TiVo friends, local friends, worlds colliding!
When your preteen snuggles you, you take pics for proof.
My view!
I think this might be a first for me!
Holy shit balls! I think this might be a first for me—two triple word scores for 193 points! Sorry Mom!
I hate this time of year.
Happy comfy sun dog!
And I couldn’t resist snagging a cuddle!
Everyone loves Maggie!
I am a member of the Facebook group Boston Terrier Society and posted my favorite picture of her! Everyone loved her and I enjoyed everyone’s pics of their crazy dogs!
Owen is on the Honor Roll!
After the shitshow of remote learning last year, seeing this come home seriously gave us chills! We could not be more proud of him! And he was so excited to show us—made us get together and close our eyes!
I’m not generally one for bumper stickers but you can damn well be sure this one is going on my car!
I’m going to toot my own horn!
So I’m going to toot my own horn here (and give props to my customers as well).
For the month of October I participated in a four-week Ultimate Beauty Madness challenge. I won three of my four weeks overall…and I learned today that I ended up in the top 20 in sales out of almost 500 women!
This is who I beat in the fourth week—someone who was at the top of her team for sales!
I’m boosted!
And Katie’s getting her shot next Friday! It’s a good day!
I ♥️ Jenna Clark!
Oh. Em. Gee. I could talk with my amazing leader Jenna Clark forever. She is so funny and warm and open and welcoming — I think we just might be besties if we lived closer! Our 20 minute coaching call today just flew by. She has adopted me into her squad with open arms and I am forever grateful.
Halloween 2021
Katie was supposed to be an inflatable T-rex but she had a meltdown at the last minute (somehow the costume “felt different” from when she last tried it on that morning) so after a MUCH drama, she’s wearing dino PJs.
Owen is some videogame character I know nothing about (Edgar from Brawl Stars)! Good times.
The best thing? They’re old enough to go out on their own so we sent them off while we sat at a fire in the driveway! (They went out first by themselves while we were waiting for Anna and David to arrive and then went out with the boys later!)
Our costumes were “glampers” — courtesy of Anna and David’s RV (it was in our driveway from the weekend—the kids had a sleepover in it)!!
It was a gorgeous day but it was windy and chilly—but at least it wasn’t raining or snowing! The fire was nice but could have been even warmer!
Maggie sat cuddled in a blanket on my lap for a good two hours).
We also had two adult drinks (Apple bourbon smash and rum punch) to hand out to friends but I didn’t get a pic of that!
Anna’s kids were tired after an hour or so of trick or treating but our kids went out again! Unfortunately I didn’t get the annual pic of their candy haul!