Customer Service

Today Jim came and we went to lunch at Ridgedale with the intent to go to JC Penny's afterwards and have the beautiful ring he gave me for Christmas sized. We had a great lunch at Applebees (they serve french fried sweet potatoes and WOW are they GREAT!!!!) Anyway after lunch we went to Pennys to the jewerly counter and there were 3 people behind the counter and I guess they were helping others. Finally after about 20 min a gal came and said can I help you, and I said, I need my ring sized and she said,,, OH,, you will have to go down stairs to jewelry and watch repair!!! I was so ticked. When we got down there, there were about 7 people in front of us and the gal in the repair nook was busy repairing jewelry. We would have had to stand there for another hour!! We left!!! Whats with this customer service thing lately. I have found it getting worse and worse everywhere I go!!! Sad part is, where do you go? The service seems to be the same everywhere. Maybe Nordstroms??

Blessings
Sandi

Christmas: It came and Swoosh, it was gone

What a great time. Tonja and family arrived on Thursday evening (yes amidst the worst weather we had for the season, but she said only the last mile after turning off the highway was anything slippery) and she was here until yesterday afternoon. Friday was spent with Tonja (alone for a couple of hours shopping, but at least I had her to myself) and then with Abbe and Luke and Rissa. I took Luke and Abbe shopping for thier Mom and Dad and then in the evening Jim and I took Abbe, Luke and Rissa to see Happy Feet. A really cute movie. Saturday Maurissa, Emmalee and I went shopping and then out to lunch. In between was lots of gift wrapping (by them, remember I was all done) and game playing and on line (the teenagers) and lots of laughing. Christmas Eve morning we went to church at 9:30. When we got home, we had a light lunch and we sat around playing games until about 4:30 when we put on our festive clothes and got ready for dinner. Before we ate, we lit candles and turned out all the lights in the house but for the Christmas tree, we held hands and sang "Silent Night". I didnt sing much as the tears fell as this wonderful warm feeling of having my family and my husband there holding hands pondering the gift we had been given so long ago that we were celebrating, was not in vain for my family. Because as far as I know each and everyone of them have accepted the gift of salvation.

After the feasting, it was time for pictures. I promise my next post, I will attempt to put some pictures here. And after that, came the exchanging of gifts. I love to give presents. I love to see the looks and hear the "Yessssssss" and the Wow's when my loved ones get something that they really wanted. After that it was time for more games, but it was also time for Mamma and Grandpa Jim to hit the sack. The "younger set" stayed up and played games and watched movies.

Christmas morning brought Santa presents and then it was scrambled eggs, ham, toast and bagels for breakfast, before it was time for more games and fun. About 3:00 PM my heart became sad as the Myers loaded up thier gifts and belongings (along with an easy chair and tiller YEAH) and headed for WI. Tears,,, Yup,, they fell again. This time for Abbe and Faith. Those 2 little cousins love each other so much and are each others best buds. They get to see each other so seldom. Then it was tears for me as they actually drove off. I am glad that Eric and Kim stayed for about 30 minutes longer and I could love on Faith and Joe and them for a bit longer. At least I know that I will see them in a week or 2. I am thankful for that.

Well thats about it for this time.

Blessings to all.
Sandi

D - O - N - E

Done!!!!! That is my word for the day!! Last night I felt like I was done!! Done with wrapping Christmas gifts. Every gift that I have bought for Christmas this year is wrapped!! This is 5 days earlier then most years. hehehe. I usually find myself madly wrapping on Christmas Eve day or night. Not this year. Tonja is coming into town today. At least she claims she is. We are having nasty weather moving through our area (right now rain here but a promise of freezing rain or sleet or snow or slush) ICK... and I have asked her to not come if it is bad. She says, that she is so eager to come and she is coming no matter what!! So if you read my blog, please say a prayer for her!!! Anyway, I wanted to be all done, so I could spend as much time as I could with her and the family when they are here. I had a thought this morning as I was getting ready that maybe I needed to bake some more. BUT,,, I had a talk with Mz Sandi and told her that if 7 kinds of cookies are not enough, then 8 or 9 different kinds wont be either,,, so we are going with what we have.

Needless to say with my mission to get every gift bought and wrapped, my house has taken a back seat and truely needs my attention. Since Tonja wont be here until later tonight, I will turn all my attention to getting it shaped up a bit. But when the family hits home, no one will know that I had cleaned it up.. Maybe things have changed. Maybe they are all neat as a pin now, since they visited last (^_^)

Today the Christmas Spirit has really hit me. I guess it is the realization that in spite of the brown landscape and warm weather, it is still the celebration of Christs birth!!!

I dont work tomorrow. Really looking forward to some time with Tonja and the grandkids.

Well thats my thoughts for this morning.

Blessings
Sandi

Christmas Shopping

I thought that I had a great handle on my Christmas shopping, and I really did, I have been doing it for about 3 months picking things up here and there, but it really boils down to these last few days when you make the list and check it twice, 3times and a 4th and realize that you are a gift or 2 short. Well that is where I was yesterday, so I determined that I WAS going to finish tomorrow night, no matter what!!! I left work at 3:30 and started to shop. At 8:15 I was standing in line at JoAnn Fabrics and there were about 15 of us in line and would you believe they had only ONE cashier on duty. After standing there for 5 min and she was still futzing with the first person that was there when I got in line, I threw my stuff on the counter and walked out!! What are shop owners thinking? It is Christmas, they are running a super huge ad sale and one cashier? I think they dont want business very much. So many business are cutting back on thier help, but in the long run they are creating thier own future.

Poor Jim, I was so crabby when I got home last night. I was hungry as a bear and so tired I could hardly walk, and I knew that 1 or 2 hours of present wrapping still laid ahead of me.

SOOOOO with all the resolve that I had yesterday, I find myself today still needing to pick up 2 more things. I will try to do that tonight after work. AND,, I will finish wrapping tonight, and Mr Jim WILL help me!!! He has gotten by scott free when it comes to gift wrapping this year so that is coming to an abrupt halt!!

Well now that I got that off my chest... Hope my day is a good one and yours too

Blessings
Sandi

A Busy Weekend Full of Emotion

This past weekend was good. That I can state truely without any doubt. BUT.... it was full of emotion.

This is a time of year with so much going on and so much good will being handed out, but it is so so so true that it is a time of year that congers up so much lonliness. It seems that there is hardly a person alive that at this time of year is not mourning the loss of someone. It is the time of year when you want to be with friends and family and because life is cruel, it sometimes snatches some of them from us.

This weekend Gil's family had a gathering. It was a Christmas gathering and a time to celebrate Gil's oldest sisters 70th birthday. I am so thankful that Gil's family still considers me a part of the family and Jim is so welcomed by them all. We met with them Saturday afternoon around 4. Oh, it felt so good to be with them. Gil's youngest brother was there. I hadnt seen him since Gil's funeral. It was just such a warm welcoming feeling for me. Saturday evening Gil's twin brother and wife came and spent the night with us. Ahhhhhh it was so good visiting with them. They went to church with us Sunday morning. Pastor Steve spoke about the shepards and the angels. The part about the "host" of heavenly angels heralding the birth of Christ has always seemd so "wonderful" to me, and it was. But pastor brought up the fact that maybe the host of angels were not there JUST to annouce the birth of Jesus our Savior and Lord but to do battle as now, with the birth of Jesus, Satan knew that this baby, was here to save the people from him and his distruction. And that the battle in the powers and principalities was going to be stepped up a notch. We know this happened as when Jesus was under the age of 2 ruler degreed that all baby boys under the age of 2 be killed. I am sure that the angels had a part in making sure that Joseph, Mary and the child Jesus was ushered to a place of safety. That whole scenerio really moved my heart and I felt the place for my Lord and Saviour grow.

After we got home from church Lyle and Shirley stayed for about another hour before they headed out. When I closed the door after saying good bye to them, it felt like the scab on my heart had been ripped open a bit and a pang of severe lonliness for Gil escaped.

Yesterday afternoon brought Jim's children over for our Christmas celebration with them. It was a good time. And we heard Merry Christmas from several of them. (^_^)

Needless to say that by bedtime last night I was both physically and emotionally tired and God granted me a wonderful restful night of rest.

I pray that peace and joy will fill all those places in your life that are feeling lonely this Christmas. Jesus came. He gave his life for us and rose again and is preparing a place for us to be reunited with those who we miss.

Blessings
Sandi

The Dark Cloud

Sometimes I wonder if I am sane!!! I woke up this morning thinking I was going to be a ball of fire today. I got my shopping list ready and was out the door by 8. By the time I got home from grocery shopping and stopping at the library and the bank, a HUGE dark cloud had settled in over my head. All I want to do is cry. I am missing EVERYONE. Tonja, Gil, my Mom and Dad, my grandkids, my sister. It seems in the last few years so much has changed, and I REALLY HATE IT. I know that change is inevitable, but why so much so fast. In the past 6 years, my sister (best freind and neighbor) moved to ND, my husband died, and my daughter moved away and all the mess that has come into her life since then. Oh there were changes of blessings too. Gaining a new daughter in law, 4 new grandchildren, a husband and step children and step grandchildren. All of that is good, yet with that comes additional stresses, and when I stop and really think about it, I dont think I handled the losses very good. In hind site, I think I told myself well that is just how life is and I will go on, not allowing myself the time and the priviledge to REALLY grieve those losses. And today, it feels like my whole inside is ready to explode for the loss of all of them.

God help me

Sandi

Some Ramblings

Well it has been a few days since I last blogged. Since then Jim and I made the pilgramage to North Dakota last weekend to have Christmas with my siblings. It has been 25 - 30 years since I have spent Christmas in North Dakota. It certainly wasnt a typlical North Dakota Christmas celebration in the first part of December. It was sunny bright the whole time we were there (which isnt unusual), BUT,, it was also in the 50's during the day. We could not have asked for more beautiful weather. The saying "You can never go home" has some merit to it. Besides the weather, being all growed up and no children around it was a different kind of celebration. We arrived in ND around 3:30 on Friday. My sister was still at work but got home about 1/2 hour later. She made a wonderful pork roast dinner and had my niece (who is only one year younger then me) and her husband over for dinner also. Sat morning we were invited to my brother's home for breakfast at 8:30. Another wonderful meal. At 10:30 the church my sister attends was having thier monthly birthday coffee and since Sat was my sisters birthday, I went with her there for a few minutes. It was nice to see some of the people I grew up with from the church. Then it was home to have a peaceful afternoon at Judy's. We met at my sister Phyllis' home for dinner at 5. She prepared the whole meal and it was fantastic. At 6:15 all the women (except for me) paid $5 and went on a tour of 5 newer homes in Kulm, that were done up for Christmas. I stayed and kept the men company. When they got back around 7:45 we opened gifts. We had drawn names and that is who we gave a gift to. My niece had my name and made me the most wonderfully beautiful and soft blanket. After that it was dessert time and my niece and her daughter stopped by so Jim and I had a chance to visit with them for a bit. About 9:45 it was time to head for home, but we decided to drive around town and check out the Christmas decorations. How I love, love, love small towns and how they celebrate Christmas. There was a nativity scene right on the Main Street corner and so many houses having nativity scenese out. The main streets of the town were decked out with wreathes, greenery, candles and all the traditional Christmas decorations. It really felt like I had entered the world of Christmas. We got back to my sisters around 10:15 and then it was bed time.

Jim and I both being "rotund" found it a little cramped on Friday night sleeping in a full bed. So Jim had gone to bed before Judy and I were done visiting on Sat night so when I got in there, I looked at the bed and came to the realization that if I slept in the opposit dicrection that Jim was laying, we would fit in that bed much better. Sooooo, that is what I did, and we both had a good nights sleep.

Sunday morning we got on the road about 10 and were home around 3:30. It was a good weekend and even Jim enjoyed himself.

I loved driving through the little towns in ND. Christmas was everywhere. The red and green, the trees and nativity scenes and candles. I am so very disappointed in the 2 towns that are next to Champlin who used to have the most beautiful Christmas decorations have gone to in Osseo some blue tinsil and illuminated snow flakes of which most dont illuminate and they used to have the neatest Christmas trees and wreaths. Anoka who had small lit Christmas Trees and wreaths on thier street light posts have gone to blue banenrs with snow flakes. I just have to say enough is enough!!! I want Christmas back!! The other religions can put up thier decorations if they want to but as long as we are a "christian nation", let us celebrate our holy days.

OK,, thats it for tonight

Blessings to all
Sandi

G - R - A - C - E

I guess today that is something I did not have. Why you ask? Because today I fell out of my chair at work!!!!! I was leaning sideways off my chair to get something off the floor and rolling back at the same time when my chair hit my purse on the floor and fooosh, out went the chair from under me. I hit my head on the desk and I landed on the floor!! I have a goose egg on my head, a pain in my neck and injured pride. My co-workers and one of my bosses were in the lunch room and they hear a crash, and one of them said, what was that, and my boss said, oh it is the construction people outside. She said, no I am going to go check. So she came to my office as I was scrapping myself off the floor!! I was laughing and no blood was running so they were glad to see that. But geez, how embarassing, to fall out of your chair. I will think twice about leaning sideways and pushing the chair at the same time!!!

I do have a headache and my neck hurts so I hope it is just muscles. I am going to take some Advil or Tylenol and go home soon.

Grace,,,,, I need it!!!

Blessings
Sandi

Grandkids - What a Blessing

Well it is Monday morning and I am here at work and happy. Jim and I had a great weeknd with some of our grandkids: A 7 year old grand daughter, a 6 year old grand daughter, a 6 year old grand son and a 3 year old grandson. We had a sleep over with them on Saturday night. We picked them up at noon and thus started 24 hours of fun with them. We took them to see the movie Santa Claus 3 (a great movie by the way) and then we went out to eat at Wendys, we played games, had cookies and milk (at least twice) but Mom's.... we had apples for treats too!!! They were so good and made our hearts so warm and gave us so many great giggles and smiles. Grandpa Jim knows (by being told about 25 or 30 times) that JoeMan wants an orange light saber for Christmas!!!! Too cute. While the older 3 were having fun playing in the basement, JoeMan sat on Grandpa's lap and showed him exactly what he wanted for Christmas in the toy catalog. It was toooo cute. Phrases like "A girl has to do what a girl has to do" "Jesus lives in my heart and he helps me breathe" "I really like M&M's" "Can we have another sleepover tonight" "I love you" (accompanied by a hug), and with teary eyes saying "I dont want to go home", made this Mamma and Grandpa's hearts sing sing sing....... We are truely blessed with 11 wonderful grandchildren. Thank you God

Blessings
Sandi