THEY'RE BACK!!!!!!!!!!

My in-laws, that is.  They've been in Arizona since November and decided to come back to Michigan now.  March is the worst month of the year here as far as I'm concerned.  It's cold, there's still snow, there's still the chance of snow, the skies are gray and  its' the longest month of the year!!!!!  Personally, I would stay in Arizona as long as I could before coming back to a Michigan March.  BUT, they missed everyone, they say.  Translation, they missed their son, their daughter and their granddaughter.  They did not miss me or the four grand kids from their son and me.

That's ok.  I know that and I'm fine with it.  It's been a little slice of heaven around here with them gone.  With them being a big fan of the pop-in, a privilege they choose to use frequently, it's been nice not having to worry if they are going to just show up or not.  My mother-in-law is a lot like Marie Barone from "Everybody Loves Raymond" except she doesn't criticize my cooking.  But she makes up for that in every other way.  She has developed what I like to call "diarrhea of the mouth".  She just blurts out whatever is on her mind, be damned to the feelings she hurts.  And she has also developed a habit of acting very child-like.  I know she's old, but MY GOD!!!!  I try to be patient but with the filth and criticism that spews fourth from her mouth, it just gets to me.

They got home last night and I'm sure that today will be the day.  They will be over tonight, acting all stupid over the new things we've installed at our house while they've been away and the clean garage and the messy and filthy everything else.  Filthy is one of her favorite words and she uses it frequently!!!!  I'm just sorry I only have to work until 7pm tonight.

Sigh. . . .  LORD GIVE ME PATIENCE AND THE ABILITY TO ACT!   As in, act my ass off!  As in, Oscar worthy performance!  As in, I'm happy to see them.

Wish me luck.....................

It's Been A Looooong Time, Hello friends!!!

It's been a very long time since I posted last.  It was September sometime and I was admitting to being a Budget disaster.  Well, a lot of things have changed since then.  And for the Better!!!  I am extremely happy to admit.

We (I) finally got our budget under control and haven't bounced a check since September and am paying our bills and have even been able to save a (little) money.  My husband and I are getting along much better and I feel that we are operating in the range of normal.  I hate being normal, however, in this case, I'm ecstatic!!

I've taken a job at a BAC (big ass corporation) grocery store in my area and went from cashier to customer service and supervisor in months.  Whoever said that stay-at-home mom's have nothing to market after being home with kids for (13+) years?!  Take that baby!!  Mom's can do it all and have the cred to back it up!!!!


Life still has it's dramas but we're doing better and we're better able to cope with the struggles and complications that go with having four teenagers in the house.

I'm happy to also admit that I've lost 20 pounds since I first started this (blog) and feel much better about myself.  I still fall off the wagon and eat (and indulge in Wild Blue Beer) like there's no tomorrow, but for now I'm doing great and feel motivated to get back on track.  Now, if I can only motivate myself to workout that would be great, but after being on my feet for 8+ hours a day, I find I do not have a whole lot of energy left.  I do sleep like a log though!!!

So, ta-ta for now.  I'm home (mostly) for the next three days and will report some of my cooking adventures and tribulations of being home with the kids.

Thank God for work!!  I should have gone back to work years ago. . . . . . . . . .