And so it begins...

The day after Thanksgiving.  To some, a day of fighting the crowds and finding the best parking space.  To others, a day of dread as they are the ones who have to work and put up with the crowds.

Are the sales worth it?  The lack of sleep, sudden loss of large amounts of money, rubbing elbows with people who haven't showered in days from standing in line hoping to get in first?  Is it worth the $499.00 52" flat screen that will be outdated in a couple of years anyway?  Or the latest and greatest Elmo animated doll that does what--laughs, rolls, dances, sings?  Frankly, they should make that thing able to do chores around the house and help out, then I'll pay the fortune it costs to buy.  A robot vacuum is more exciting.

My favorite way to spend the early morning of Black Friday is with a hot cup of coffee, my laptop, and quiet house.  I got just that this morning.  Hubs and Peanut are still asleep, the dogs snuggled up beside them, and Bammers is chilling on the couch watching Scooby Doo cartoons.  I'm enjoying my cup of home brewed Dunkin Donuts coffee with a side of leftover Mississippi Mud Pie. 

My Christmas shopping? Online.  My budget?  Thankfully cheap this year with the ever changing "must haves" of a 13 year old boy who has all the gadgets, now just wants the accessories; a soon-to-be 4 year old who gets overwhelmed two weeks before Christmas with his birthday, so the "less is more" theme works Christmas morning. 

All you die hard Black Friday shoppers have one less person to contend with for that Must-Have-Item this year.  Good luck on getting the best deals and GOD BLESS, for the Christmas season has officially began.

A Little Giving of Thanks

All my loved ones and millions around the Nation are celebrating Thanksgiving.  For the past few weeks friends and family have posted thier #days of Thanks on social networking sites, blogs and news groups have started butting in with Christmas shopping on Black Friday, and schools have let out for the week/few days to observe the holiday--leaving parents who don't get off rushing to find childcare or drag thier kids with them on the mad rush to get the best shopping deals. 

I have mixed feelings with Thanksgiving.  A little history lesson of how the day came about is redundant as no one wants to hear of the carnage and chaos that occurred between new settlers and the Native Americans.  What people want to hear is how thankful you are for what you have.  Well...here goes:

I'm thankful to have a rich culture of Native American and Irish from my mother's side, and Lord only knows what on my father's side.  Family has hinted at coonass, but I refuse to be the lone child born in cajun country to admit it!  (Bran and T.J. tried to convince me I was adopted from a banjo family in the swamps--I have all my teeth and more sass so I know better).

I'm thankful for my husband, though we have little time together and usually talk best through text, supports and loves me for the workaholic I am. 

I'm thankful for the giant teenager that calls me mom and I call 'Peanut' though he towers over my 5'10" frame.

I'm thanful for the minature replica of the tasmanian devil known as Bam that also calls me mom and reminds me how precious every ounce of the day with him and my Peanut is. 

I'm thankful for the four-legged furbabies I call '#$%*&', '#$&%' and '^&$*&#' on a daily basis for eating something of mine or leaving a leggo mess of puke on my wood floors. 

I'm thankful for my family and friends who seem to pick up where we left off even after years of being apart.


I'm thankful for my job that allows me to serve my community---no sarcasm, I really love my job and am damn lucky to have one.

I'm am humbled and honored for the service members that sacrifice miles, months/years, and a lot of memories with loved ones to protect my freedoms. 

I'm thankful for my sorrows that make my joys so much better.

I'm thankful for my hard times that make my easy ones that much easier.

I'm thankful for my mistakes because they remind me to learn something new every day.

I am so very thankful for the amazing life I have been blessed with. 

And a big thanks to those who read this and are thankful to be able to READ!

Black Friday Blues

Woe is me and my rush to get a good deal! I'm usually not the type to even step foot out of my house on Black Friday due to the traffic and crowds, but this year is an exception. We are strapped this year, as are many of my peers, and need to play the retailers Black Friday Door Buster's to our advantage. I have a unique case for my woes though. My oldest son is going in at 6:00 A.M. for surgery on none other than BLACK FRIDAY!

Yes, pity me. I am so excited though, not because he has to have surgery, but because a few stores that I wanted to hit are starting the sales EARLY! I will be one of 'those' people who are camped out BEFORE midnight on Thanksgiving at Toys R Us in order to get my soon too be tonsil-less...(sp) child his big gift. He wants the iPod Touch decked out, and this store will not only have it on sale, but will be giving out $50 gift cards at time of purchase! That works for me because my little guy is having a birthday two weeks from now that I can use $50!

I've been searching sites, checking fliers, and doing some military operation style investigating to find out the best plan of attack. It's not finished yet, but once my Mom gets in to town tonight we will set our game plan.

One article I came across gives 11 Ways to Survive Black Friday. There are many others that you can google if you are new to the Black Friday chaos like me. Best of luck to those tempering the masses!