Yeah... that was... um... yeah...

So we got tons of snow two weeks ago. We got somewhere around 8 or 9 inches in one week. We were expecting the wind to start blowing Saturday afternoon which would then create blizzard like conditions.

We had planned on getting together with Austin's parents for their Christmas on Sunday so I made the executive decision to just go over on Saturday and stay the night. That way we wouldn't have to worry about traveling even that short distance with Mason.

Saturday everything is going good I have the car loaded with everything we are going to need and extra. I say extra because I already had Mason and I already packed to go down to southwest Iowa for Christmas and instead of pulling out just what we would need I just put our whole bags in the car. Which turned out to be a good thing.

So, anyways, Saturday is going good. It isn't too cold out the wind isn't blowing yet and Mason and I are just about ready to go. Austin has agreed to come over later and bring the Wii with some games.

Just as I am taking Mason out to the car the wind starts up. So off we go. By the time I get to the highway... I can see nothing.

Don't think I let that stop me.

Nope.

I knew that it would only affect me for a couple of miles. About an hour later we get there. They have a really long and curvy driveway we get about halfway down it we can see the house and we get stuck in a snow drift to the side of the drive way.

Jeff's plowing abilities leave something to be desired. It is like he is afraid to lower the bucket anymore. There was probably a good 4 inches of snow still on the drive.

Jeff had to come rescue us. He finally got the car to the house later that afternoon after he got it stuck again and then had to hooked the tractor up to it.

Mason was in heaven playing with Cheyenne (playful 7 year old Black Lab) and Boots (2 year old kitty). Saturday afternoon I helped Robin get ready for Sunday. I made my bread while she made the cherry dessert and pumpkin pies. I was to bring the rolls for lunch on Sunday so I don't think that was considered helping but I didn't make a bigger mess anyways.

Her kitchen is set up very weird. As in she has things in the most illogical places. I don't know how many times I would ask her where something was and she would have to open several doors or drawers to find it.

Austin finally showed up around supper time. We had chili with cornbread. It would have been perfect but Robin didn't have baking powder. Who doesn't keep baking powder in the house? The corn bread was still good it just didn't raise like cakes usually do.

After supper we all played Wii and got beat at bowling by Robin. Austin beat us all in Golf, at least the first game. I took the second which is how it should have been anyways.

Mason went to bed around 8:30 like normal and was good. The rest of us stayed up later playing Wii. I finally gave it up about 10 and went to bed. I thought Austin would follow later. I wake up at 3 to let the dog outside and Austin wasn't in bed.

My first thought was that crazy bastard is staying up all night playing video games.

Imagine my surprise when I go upstairs and everything is dark and his pick up is gone out of the driveway.

Yep!! That crazy SOB went home. In blizzard conditions. I was less than thrilled.

Don't even begin to think that I stayed up all night worrying about him. NOPE! I went back to bed and slept peacefully until Mason woke up at 8. I figure he had a cell phone on him and would have called if he had run into trouble.

The next morning was Sunday and we were celebrating Christmas. Austin showed up around 10:30. I didn't even get a chance to give him a proper tongue lashing because his mother took care of it for me. She was mad. Austin took it all in stride and actually laughed at the end.

Princess Hateful Raquel and Dan showed up around 11:30. I don't know what it is about her but Hyde just loves her. He jumps in her arms and whines when she puts him down. I don't get it. It is a little annoying when my child follows the dogs lead and follows her around and gives her kisses.

As annoying as she is at least she doesn't talk non-stop. I swear Dan doesn't shut up. I know in a normal house this wouldn't be a big deal and would most likely be considered starting a conversation but this isn't a normal family. It just feels like he asks a hundred questions.

This family doesn't have normal conversations they have heated debates. These debates are not rational and are not held before lunch they are held after dessert over a game of cribbage. Everything else can be considered polite chit-chat.

We didn't end up going home this day either because it was too darn cold out and the roads were too bad. Austin drove through drifts that came up to the bumper on his truck. He sure didn't let that stop him from going home though. He got to go home and ended up playing Wii all night.

I ended up having to sit through some uncomfortable silences. I am sure it didn't feel uncomfortable to Robin and Jeff but it was for me. How was I to get comfortable with my M-I-L reading my mind all evening. It did get better when she got out her new camera and started playing with it. At least until she started to ask me a hundred questions. Not that I mind answering questions it is just the way she asks them. Like she has perfect timing that as soon as I start to do something else she calls me over again. I think Austin gets this from her because he does the same thing.

Monday afternoon Robin and I took Mason to town. First we went to lunch at Perkins. Mason charmed all the young college students that were stuck working during break. There was a young couple there sitting in the booth across from us and Mason kept turning around and flirting with them both. Just being generally cute and the husband says 'If you could guarantee that our kids would turn out like that I wouldn't mind having one or two.' The wife was so happy after she heard that. After they left Robin looks at me and says 'Man are they in for it. They don't know that Mason threw 2 tantrums just on the way into the building.'

Next we went to see Santa. Mason was so excited to get to sit in Santa's lap and pull on his beard. Thankfully we got one with a real beard. Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas and all I could understand was truck and baby and then he throws his head back and laughs. Santa was surprised and asked me his age twice.

By the time we got back home the roads were good enough for Mason and I to go home. So I loaded up the car and attempted to get the car out of the driveway. It only took two tries and the tractor.

When we got home the house looked like I hadn't been home in a month. There wasn't a clean dish or any silverware and there was just junk everywhere. I was less than thrilled considering I had just cleaned it Friday and it was only Monday.

After some power cleaning and doing some major laundry it sure felt good to sleep in my own bed considering it would be the only time for over a week.

Thanksgiving...

This year for Thanksgiving we are staying home and having friends over. Well friends and Austin's parents.
I decided that I didn't want to drive for 3+ hours to see my family for an hour. Luckily our friends felt the same way so we are all meeting at my house.
I love to cook so we are going all out. The only thing I am not making is the pies because Austin's mom wants to. That is just fine with me I don't especially like to make pie. Especially pumpkin pie.
I am really surprised that his parents decided to join us. I think they are even more antisocial than Austin. They say they don't like to come over when we have friends over because they feel as though they are intruding. Mind you, I am a sweet and wonderful daughter-in-law when they are around. Sweet and wonderful dammit!! So much so that it is just wrong, sometimes I am afraid my face will break. It really doesn't go with my personality.
We get together with our friends and their parents all the time. So it isn't like it is an unusual occurrence for one or more sets of parents to be at our gatherings. I think it is just something they will have to get over.
Thursday should be fun. Busy but fun. Austin has decided that we need to have turkey and ham. I think he just doesn't want everyone eating his turkey. Which is odd considering I have made 4 turkeys this year. This will be number 5, I figured he would be tired of it by now. I spoil him shamelessly. I really should stop. I guess it probably makes up for all my other... um... "good wife" behavior.
Now I just have to hope that Mason's black eye is gone by Thursday. Poor little kid is Austin's, that is for sure. So. I will set the scene. We were all in the kitchen and I was making supper. Austin, Mason and Hyde are all playing with a ball on the floor. I go to the fridge to get out the butter, it is one of those fridges that has the freezer on the bottom, so I had the door open and Mason gets up to chase the ball and runs right in to the corner of the fridge door. He cried a little bit but then got distracted when Hyde tried to run off with 'Mine', his bear. So his eye is to the ugly brownish greenish stage.
I realize that little kids get hurt and I wouldn't be afraid to take him to my any one of my family because they know things like this happen and aren't judgemental. They wouldn't ask where I was when it happened. Then look at me like I was the devil when I said right there beside him. So just to keep everyone happy on Thanksgiving I really hope it is gone. After all I am just the 'spoiled princess' who married her wonderful son.
It's alright I am laughing too. At least Princess Hateful Raquel isn't coming this year. I am afraid I won't be as fortunate come Christmas. She better not even think she is controlling Christmas this year. She might run her husbands families holidays but she has to remember I am the only daughter-in-law on this side and I run things. I can't wait for the fight that will ensue. It should be monumental because she wants to get together on Christmas at her parents house that is 3+ hours from where we are going to be. Can you tell I am excited just thinking about it. I really can't wait to show her who is boss exactly. I think it is about time to remind her that I always get what I want by being sweet and wonderful dammit!!
I know the holidays really bring out my... um... yeah... good side... yeah that is what it is called.

Procrastinating....

We have been really busy lately. I made it to the freak show family reunion. It was just beautiful out. Seventy and sunny with just the slightest breeze. Mason was cute and as well behaved as can be expected of a one-year-old. He positively charmed everyone as he was eating off of everyones plate. Even though the little stinker had his own.
Austin left for Germany on Tuesday. He drove himself to work in the horrid awesome green truck of his. We debated on whether or not I should drive him in and finally decided that I wouldn't be needing the truck so he took it...it really is true what they say about hindsight being 20/20. I ended up needing the truck and he had the keys in his pocket sitting in a meeting in Germany. Great place for them...
Our adopted dog, Bubba, passed away Tuesday evening as I was leaving for my MOPS steer team meeting. Bubba was close to 18 and it was his time. He passed peacefully and will be greatly missed. Bubba came with the house because he wouldn't stay away and we didn't really want him to leave anyways. The previous owners, Mel and Olive, have said all along that they would like to have him cremated and the cremains mailed to them. I respected their wishes and had to take him to be cremated today. To do this I had to go borrow my father-in-laws truck and then I had to get one of the neighbors to help me load him. I am not sure who was crying harder, me or the neighbor. Have I mentioned that I love my little corner of the world. I have the absolute best neighbors.
My father-in-law had to have his appendix out Friday so he is still recovering from surgery. Otherwise he would have come over and helped me load him. Jeff is recovering nicely. He still can't lift Mason even though he tries. I am afraid he will hurt himself but he won't listen to me.
I have told Austin that he can no longer out of the country. Every time he leaves something happens to make me feel completely helpless. Every time he has gone to Germany something has died. I told him that we only have Mason and Hyde here and I couldn't bear to loose either of them so once he gets home he is home for good. (Some of this might have been said through some hysterical tears and raging hormones although I can't be entirely certain.)
So... that is what has been going on here. Now instead of blogging I need to get my newsletter finished for MOPS tomorrow. It is amazing that even on my weakest days I feel strong being surrounded by other breathtakingly genuine mothers. I do not know what I would do without this wonderful group of women to lean on and complain to laugh with. Our theme this year is Adventures in Mothering. It truly has been that. From the moment we found out about Mason it has been an adventure. My mother upon hearing the theme for this year said there needed to be a group with a theme called Adventures in Marriage. I suggested to her that she needed to write a book about her Adventure in Marriage. It would certainly be a comedy about a tragedy.
Well I have procrastinated long enough. If only I could write the newsletter like I do this blog....

"She got to us first"

I will start this one with a little background. Austin and I have been together for 12 years this June. We will have been married for 8 of these years on June 24. That is a long time. In this time I have been a fair, sweet, understanding, willing to please, and dare I say loving daughter-in-law. I have gone out of my way to be nice to my horribly spoiled sister-in-law. I have been more than fair in the way we split major holidays. Never once have I told his family no we can't do this or won't do that.

Well about a month ago I asked Austin's parents what was going on for mother’s day. I was told they would check with S-I-L and see if they were going to celebrate with us at their house. Well two weeks ago I asked again and got the same answer and that they would let us know. So last Wednesday I sent my M-I-L an e-mail and asked again. No answer so they called about asparagus and I asked, again, and was told "S-I-L is taking us out to dinner" I replied "would have been nice if she had invited everybody to celebrate the family holiday" To which they replied "She got to us first" I was simply livid. Got to them first my butt. Needless to say I ended the call rather quickly and informed Austin that I was done trying with his family. He was very loving and supportive because he has never cared one way or the other. He very nicely summed it up by saying "You can only make excuses for people for so long before you run out of them. I am out of excuses."

Well I am tired of being ignored, shoved out of the way, left out, taken for granted, and pissed on in general. I refuse for Mason to see his Mother being treated this way or to feel like she is being treated this way. I have taken control of my family. We will do what I see fit when I see fit. Austin has agreed to this by saying "Evidently playing favorites is not the way to raise children". I couldn't agree more. He can go see his parents when he wants by himself. If they want to see my child they can call and invite the whole family. Not just one or two of us. He has also agreed that as soon as Raquel says something snide we can leave no excuses need to be given. Have I said lately that I absolutely Love Love Love my husband. He is better than I deserve but I am not giving him up for anything.

So for Mothers Day I got to sleep in and then we went to town and had lunch with his parents. (How sad that you only want to spend long enough to eat with your son and grandson on Mothers Day. I told my husband that if I had known how my mothers day was going to end up being that I would have been stashing money away for gas to go to my grandmothers to spend the day with my family. Why because they were ALL there. Not one or two but all. That is the way I want Mason to remember holidays being. Warm and loving with everyone in attendance. Not an hour at a restaurant.

Bad Weather

I love snow. I don't love ice. That is what we woke up to Saturday. Now where we live any ice and we the power flickers and is crappy. So for Mason's sake we went to Austin's Mom's house for the day. We had fun. Well at least Mason and I did. Austin just dropped us off and came back home. I have no clue what he did. Don't think I didn't ask either. He just said he worked outside. I know, he did, his carhart coat was soaked. I think he was out in the barn working. I know I said "in" the barn but the barn needs torn down so it isn't in the best of shape. I think he might have been in the chicken coop part. The chicken coop is in a part of the lean-to area and they only part of the roof that is complete in that area is where the chickens are kept.

I knew he hadn't been working on the corncrib because if it didn't kill him I would. He has done a lot work to get it down, so now we are just waiting for it to fall on its own. When the wind is blowing you can hear it creaking.

When I let Hyde out in the mornings I have to go out also and stand with him. Mainly to make sure he goes #1 and #2. Otherwise he will hold it as long as possible and then he whimpers the whole time he goes. So anyways I was outside waiting on the dog and walked around to the barn and corncrib to see what he was doing and then I saw the tracks leading to the grove of trees. My husband had been cutting down a tree. I normally wouldn't care but Saturday it was raining and snowing. All around it was just a horrible day. At least he wasn't working on the corncrib.