I did most all of my Christmas shopping in less than three hours yesterday. Zach only has one pair of shoes besides his work shoes and they are pitiful at best. I was gonna pick him up a pair at "Ross Mess For Less" but they didn't have anything remotely resembling something he would be seen in so I skipped to clothes. TJ needs work clothes so I got him a great pair of Calvin Klein and a pair of Geoffrey Beene dress pants. Retail price $165 but I paid $50. Got him a pretty sweater and a dress shirt to match both pair of pants. It's hard to find Zach jeans anywhere. He wears 28 X 30 and they are still "Busting Slack." He's my "Mini (skinny) Me. They had one pair so I snatched them up. I got him a couple of sweaters and a shirt that looks just like the other shirts he wears. He doesn't tend to drift far from his comfort zone. Moved over to Women's and it got easier. Found Massey two pair of really cool jeans and several tops that looked just like her. Of course I always spoil her so added a couple more tops and a beautiful sweater to the heap of clothes. Tim doesn't have one pair of jeans left that he could wear anywhere but a Hobo convention but his size is hard to find too. 33 X 34. Strike two. If I had bought these clothes which were all name brand or designer at the mall it would have easily been over five hundred dollars...maybe more considering I haven't been to a mall in almost twenty years. I spent less than $200.
Found Tim three pair of jeans at Target and Zach two pair of shoes at Payless for under under forty bucks!
Here's the deal with "Ross Mess For Less" You have to scrutinize every purchase. Some things are sized wrong. Sometimes buttons and zippers are on the wrong side. Sometimes a hem isn't complete. These are all things a Cotton rarely notices and if they do, will certainly let slide. It's just a nice surprise to be cutting actual store tags off brand new clothes instead of pulling off yard sale stickers.
Don't get me wrong. My kids were all spoiled rotten for many many years. So much so they SHOULD all be good til they marry and then some. For the past few years the story changed but to my surprise and great admiration for them, all three have never complained. I'm sure they've felt like it...heck I have. Massey griped a bit when it all went south but was in her last year of middle school headed to a high school of over 3,000 students and a lot of them were spoiled beyond belief and any sane parent's comprehension. She's wised up quite a bit since then and now realizes more about life than any seventeen year old girl I know.
She adjusted, with all the love my family (that means my phat bro , incredible sister) and many friends showed her (and me.)
It was tough... a lot tougher than the kids knew but we made it.
Skip to This Christmas. The past few Christmas seasons have been total gifts of love. It was embarrassing to me but accepted and appreciated the gifts in the spirit they were given...lovingly.
This year..."I Got This!"
It's a marvelous feeling. We got off to a rocky start but when one of my dear high school friends bought us a Christmas tree it inspired me.
Been working like a mad woman the past two weeks...you gotta when you work as a waitress at Christmas. So it's "Server" now...when I started it was waitress!
The ball rolled slow at first but has picked up speed . I've had two days off since Thanksgiving and was relieved to have yesterday off, before I realized a party requested me on my day off. Number one they are fantastic people and take terrific care of me. Number two I live eight minutes from the restaurant and number three my youngest is seventeen...it's not like I am breast feeding or having to spoon feed three kids.
I came home from shopping with a huge roast from BJ's and threw it in the oven. I told the kids (who never listen to me when I give domestic orders) I was going into work for one party and would be back in two hours.
Three hours later I got home to a roast almost burned in the oven and two starving kids. I made some gravy and a pot of rice. Massey wanted an open face sandwich on wheat bread with gravy (my favorite) and ate it up. I sat down at the computer and started to blog. One hour later I asked her to make me one and she said all the loaf bread was gone. That's the way it works when you're the momma.
I told Zach to go to the gas station up the road and buy a loaf of wheat bread. All they had was nasty white bread but I settled for that. I got through blogging and went into the kitchen. No bread.
I asked Zach where he left the bread? He hollered from his bedroom "On the kitchen counter." I looked. No bread.
I walked upstairs into the living room and Ziggy was purring like a cat fast asleep. Beside him was a small scrap of plastic bag labeled "Loaf Bread." There was a chewed up twist tie beside it. Not one bread crumb.
I just settled for roast beef rice and gravy, whacked Ziggy a good one and went to bed. Have to work two double shifts in a row and work on Christmas Eve too.
I told this story to several co workers today and all responded..."That dog is definitely a Cotton...he fits right into your crazy family." When I went back into work tonight the co worker who we got Ziggy from listened to my story and just laughed. She said "He has lots of personality...I think he found the right family."
You know, they are all right. I'm a sucker for pups. They cost less than kids and love me like nobody's business. They never ask for anything. The older two are perfect (almost)...Ziggy is just keeping me young or will kill me trying.
Christmas is done. Made enough tonight to finish last minute shopping and have a feast on Christmas Day. Life is good.
Take the good with the bad. Roll with the punches and come out swinging.
Christmas is covered and silly as it may sound, so is my pup Ham.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and to all a good night.
Thank you all for loving me and thank you all for believing in me. I think I am even starting to believe in myself again!
With a full heart and much to pay forward...
Til next time...COTTON
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