Happy Holidays to All ...

And another few weeks has passed since my last blog entry.

Butterball is now three weeks old, and true to his nickname, he really is a butterball!! I was going over pictures from Christmas, the boy looks to be about three months old in the photos. I was hoping to post one, but I am experiencing technical difficulties where photos are concerned. I'm thinking it's a multiply problem, I hear they've moved their servers and were having problems with computers adjusting to the new climate.

Any who ...

The semester is over (yay) and grades have finally been posted. I got an A in both my jewelry and my Principles of Supervision classes. I did pass the science class from hell, barely. I never thought I'd be elated over a D+. But I am!! I really am. Going over my transcripts the only other D I have ever had in college was a computer class in 1979. Hell, I don't even remember the class it was soooooo long ago.

All of my other grades since the beginning of my college days have been As and Bs. Not a C in there anywhere.

So, I graduate in May of 2010. It only took me 32 years to get my associates degree. Yay!! I'll be soooo glad to say I finally did it.

Next terms classes will be a breeze for me. Principles of Advertising, Principles of Marketing, Human Resource Management and ... last but not least ... Principles of Retail (or Retail Theory). Funny story about the Retail class. I was talking to Mr. B, my Supervision teacher, and soon to be my Human Resource teacher. He was asking me what classes besides his I have for my last semester ... and I told him "Principles of Retail Therapy". We had a good laugh over it ... let's see how he uses that next term to embarrass me in HR class.

And I have Penguin Girl to thank for planting "retail therapy" in my head.

Let's see ...

My 50th birthday went well. We had a Star Trek Christmas party on my birthday. Funny how these things just work out - that's what happens when you're born six days before Christmas, I guess. Soooooo ... my birthday was spent with a room full of Trekkies. Had a wonderful dinner, opened "Secret Santa" gifts (I got a vanilla sugar scented candle - YUM) ... then some of the "gang" went off to watch the new Star Trek Movie while a few (myself included) stayed behind to play rummy and euchre.

Christmas went well. Brother Deere hosted yet another holiday feast. The folks, kids, grandkids, aunts, and a host of cousins and their kiddies were there. Grandson was so cute with his looking at the wall clock (he can't tell time yet), and asking whomever was nearest the clock "is it time to open gifts yet?"

I got to hold Butterball for a bit, when he wasn't screaming for a bottle or diaper change anyway. My cousin "DM" would relieve me. I was afraid she was going to tell her hubby she wanted another baby (they have three kids). Poor Butterball, it was all so overwhelming for him that he screamed for a good part of the evening. Only after Alien wrapped him up tightly in a swaddling blanket did he calm down enough to sleep in Gramma's arms.

Santa still brings gifts to 50 year old Grandmothers!! I got a Rummy Cube game, clothes, picture frame, and lots and lots of cash. Oh, and I got a blow-torch from Married Son. Ya, a blow-torch and I am excited about it, too!!

Now that I've got a little experience in jewelry making and do want to pursue it further, he got me my torch. I also have a job starting next month with a jewelry maker (she does not know how to solder) ... so I get to charge her per piece to solder sterling silver jump rings to her finished product.

So ... hope ya'll had a a good holiday.

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year!!

Introducing ...

It's with great pleasure I take this moment to share with you photos of my newest grandson, Butterball.

Grandson #2

Photos of my second grandchild, born December 3, 2009 weighing in at 9# 13 ounces ... he's my butterball boy!!

December 3, 2009

It's about three am here. I'm listening to the wind blow outside, and hearing the bang bang bang of loose siding. This can't be good. Just another thing to add to the fix-it list.

Two weeks left in this term. Yay!! I'm enjoying my classes, though. I had an appointment with my counselor yesterday to fill out my application for graduation. Everything's good to go! Yay! It's only taken me 32 years, but *by gosh* I'm finally getting that degree!!

I wasn't going to do the commencement thing, BUT ... after talking to my dad last night he wants me to go .... says it's not every day he gets to watch his daughter get that long sought after degree. Yes, I'm still a Daddy's girl. What can I say?

Speaking of daughters ... Alien is less than 24 hours from having a c-section. They are estimating the baby weighs between ten and a half and twelve pounds. Ouch! Surgery is at one pm, I won't be going to see her until Friday (she'll be in recovery until after visiting hours are over). I will have pictures of the new baby to post later. Now, I just need to come up with a blog nickname for the little butterball.

Not a whole lot else going on here ... Married Son is back on the road doing long haul driving. He's loving it and missed being on the road for almost two years. Of course, DIL is lost without him, but she's got her family. Heaven knows she's not around here when he's on the road.

I'm enjoying the quiet for the most part. Single Son is still here, but I hardly see him. I do hear sound coming from his room - the movie he's watching, the game he's playing ... whatever. But that's about it.

Guess I should crawl back into my cave now. I have two final exams to study for, and two pieces of jewelry to finish for my jewelry class. I am still designing the ring I'm to make for my final project, and the drawings are due next Monday. No pressure there.

As always, I do follow what's going on with ya'll through email updates. Miss not being around as much as I used to, but know I think of ya'll often ...

Hugs!!

One month later ...

It's that time of the month again ... no not *that* ... it's time for my monthly blog entry. Seems to be how it's working with me any more.

Let's see ... this last month has brought:

Headaches and stress galore with that blasted accounting class. I finally had to drop it, I had no choice really. I'd rather take the incomplete instead of the failing grade. But never fear ... LOL ... when I went to my counselor to discuss my course of action, I found out that dropping it and changing my degree (dropping the entrepreneurship endorsement to avoid accounting) would actually cut my remaining required credits ... now I only need four 3-credit-hour classes instead of five (or six had I failed accounting and had to repeat it) to get my degree. Soooooooo ... that's just one more semester and I'll finally have that associates degree I put off for 30 years!! Yay me!! I registered for next (and my last) semester today. I'll have four classes on three different campuses. It couldn't be avoided, two of the classes are only offered once every few years - and then only one class is available when it IS offered - soooooooo ... I'm a commuter again.

My dad's been in the hospital for a few days with congestive heart failure. I was up to visit him yesterday and he's looking great. Hopefully he'll be allowed home in the next day or two. I can't mention anything about it on facebook as I have relatives on there ... and Mom's feuding with some of their parents - seems the cousins FB'ed about health issues with their folks, but NO ONE ever called my mom about it. Mom found out through me when she asked "so what's up on facebook with your cousins". Great. Put ME in the middle of it. Grrrrrrrr. Now mom's all ticked off ... and won't let me mention Dad's health on FB. It's all silly if you ask me. It sort of reminds me when we were kids and got into our little playground battles ... you remember those ... your best friend Little Susie wanted to hang out with Little Louisa ... but you were mad at Louisa for taking your brownie at lunch TWO years ago ... so you're pissed off at Susie, too!! That's what it reminds me of!!

So ... Single Son turned thirty a few days ago. I'm in denial!! I cannot be the mother of a thirty year old!! No sirree!! Not me ... but then again, I claim I'm too young to be a gramma to an almost 5 year old, AND a soon to be second grandson. And I'm not even fifty yet!!

Married Son will be back on the road driving a truck again before the end of the week. I take him to Flat Rock, MI tomorrow to pick up his truck. He'll drive it back here, pack it up with what he needs and wait for his boss to tell him exactly what his first pick up (or delivery) will be.

I'm pretty much betting that DIL and Grandson will be moving out shortly. If Married Son is on the road most of the time, she's sure not going to want to live with the MIL. Her folks live a mile away ... so I'm pretty sure she'll be moving in with them before Christmas.

Thank you Santa!! That's all I want for Christmas ... to get my sanity back ... lose the stress that DIL causes (she is about worthless as tits on a boar hog) ... and then be soooo much closer to the empty nest.

Although, honestly, I don't mind having Single Son around. He works hard. He contributes. And best of all, even though he occupies space in the house, I rarely see him.

On the Alien front ... not much news. I talked to her on the phone this morning. The doctors keep changing her due date. So basically it's anytime between now and December 10. She's big as a house, I hear. I haven't seen her since before she started showing, I'd guess six months now. She only calls when she needs something (gee, that's a surprise, eh). But today she said she was in a lot of pain ... had started to dialate ... and was just totally miserable. She said something about gestational diabetes, too ... I think she said borderline - but with all the background noise I can't be positive. And to get her to repeat or call when she's in a quiet environment is damn near impossible.

I do keep up with ya'll through email updates. I do think about ya'll from time to time, when my brain isn't busy trying to retain class lectures or when I'm playing some of the applications I've become addicted to over on facebook.

Well, I should get back to studying. I have a huge test tomorrow that I need to go over my notes. Since I'm taking Married Son to Flat Rock tomorrow, I'll lose about four hours study time tomorrow.

Guess this is where I wish ya'll a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Good Grief!!

Geesh, it's been almost a month since I last posted? So much for "I'll try to post more". Sad thing is there's not really a lot going on besides classes and a ton of homework.

The bleeder from jewelry class is still in class, but now sits at another table (yay). She's managed to get interested in the jewelry making process and is turning out to be not so much of a PITA. However, she needs to fill her toolbox with the tools she'll need - including the scissors and sharpie pen she always borrows from me yet never returns. Protests of "return it as soon as you're done" seem to fall on deaf ears!! I've settled well in the class. Even decided on two of my projects. I can't say what they are, as one of you will be the recipient of said projects eventually.

Science class is proving harder than I thought. We just got test one back today. Our class has set the new record of having the worst scores of the Prof's entire 20 years of teaching. Not a record we're proud of. Our study group has now grown by three people (from four to seven). We're trying to organize an extra credit project of a trip to the local science museum. Or should I say ... I'm trying to organize it.

Accounting isn't going much better. The tutoring is helping some. We'll see on the next test just how well all this tutoring and online workshops are working.

At least jewelry and principles of supervision are going good!!

I'm still without a tv set. I'm finding I really don't miss it. I get the current weeks episode of COPS on hulu.com - so I'm not going through COPS withdrawl. Oh, and they even have that new comedy "Community" on hulu.com ... so I'm able to watch that. Funny how it reminds me of my life right now. If you haven't watched it, hop on over to hulu.com, especially if you've ever attending community college ... it's an absolute hoot!

Not really a lot else going on here right now. Haven't heard from Alien in a while. We're on much better terms now. She still has plans to marry that fool, at least that's what I'm still hearing. We can always continue to pray she wises up and soon. But with her 18th birthday literally a few days away, I'm not seeing that's likely to happen.

As always, I do keep up with ya'll through email updates. Hope all is well in your lives.

TGIF

I had hoped to write a blog the other day, but that didn't happen. Way too much homework to keep me from doing so.

I really need to change my background. I love this background, but sadly summer is over. Time to think about fall. Yay fall!! I'm so ready for the cooler temps anyway!!

School is going good. Monday was the first day of my jewelry making class. Gonna be a fun class! We have three projects to make. It could be anything, so long as it meets the instructor's approval. I had some stones I wanted to set in a ring, no such luck. Stone setting doesn't happen until advanced jewelry class. Poop!!! I won't be taking it since it's not a requirement for my degree (or maybe I will after I get the degree ... who knows).

So ... I'm all into the lecture by the art teacher. The gal next to me isn't and is rather distracting to those of us who want to be in class. She's there for the same reason most of us are ... to fill the art credit. Only ... most of us want to be there!! She kept saying she should have taken Piano lessons instead. I agree!! We had to cut a piece of brass into some shape ... I chose a heart ... she chose something abstract. Next thing I know she's bleeding on MY brass plate when she sawed right through her freaking finger!! I ended up having to patch her up (so much practice with my sons I'm pretty good in a bloody situation). That'll teach her to listen during the safety lecture!!

I still haven't decided what my three projects are going to be. One has to be a chain of some sort, I haven't even really decided on which type of chain I'm going to do, the other two projects we're pretty much free to choose between rings, bracelets, charms, brooches, earrings ... whatever our little hearts desire (so long as it doesn't require stone setting). I better decide and quick, teacher wants designs on his desk by the beginning of class on Monday.

Other than school we're back to "not much going on around here". Who has time for excitement, chaos, confusion or Gremlin visits with a full course load?

Hope ya'll are doing well ... have a great weekend!