The Comfort Zone

So it was back to the restaurant tonight for me. Waiting tables is NOT easy work but something I've been doing for  thirty four years, hence it's my "Comfort Zone."

I had a good night's sleep and got lots of errands run today. Got my Hurr Did, groceries bought, bills paid and yard cut. Work was great, it was busy and I had four different tables come in and ask for my section.(always a good thing) No hunting and pecking at computer  spread sheets or Excel, just talking and putting in orders and giving good service. It's so much easier now that I'm not doing it seven days a week, I actually enjoy it much more. I went in tonight and one of the managers said "Hey Ms. Cotton! I sure miss you around here."

I've stepped out of my comfort zone with this new part time job and sometimes feel totally overwhelmed, which is a good thing. You have to push yourself to get ahead. I sold a mattress and box springs to one of my restaurant coworker's boyfriend yesterday and when I went into work tonight she said he really liked the new mattress and slept like a baby last night. She also made the comment that he said I was going to do great at  this job. I hope he's right!

Life is closing in on me fast. In less than a month my youngest  graduates from high school (with honors) my oldest is living on the other side of the world and my middle one is turning out to make me pretty dang proud too!

What more can a girl ask for? I have two jobs I really like, three kids I absolutely adore and one husband who deserves a gold medal for putting up with the likes of me. Tim and I are a combination of Ralph and Alice, Al and Peg and Ricky and Lucy with a touch of  Archie and Edith except that I wouldn't be caught dead in one of Edith's dresses or Peg's heels and hair dos.

On top of it all I have three pups who I love too. One's blind, one's deaf (or just extremely stubborn) and one's just BAD. I wouldn't trade any one of the three, I love my pups and they are all crazy about me! I have three kids who are all different and unique in their own way....the pups followed suit.

I reached a stand still with  the Vet specialist I took my blind dog to. I'm going another avenue, contacting the Auburn Veterinary Program about having his sight restored. My vet thinks he is healthy enough for eye surgery and since he saved my Ham from heart worms, I'm going with his vote. It may sound uncaring or cruel but I am willing to take  the chance on his eye surgery.  He never runs anymore, he never jumps anymore, he simply bumps and bumbles his way though every  day. Click on this link to see Ham, being Ham!

http://youtu.be/xsKUECBVTCw

This is a video of him in his prime, just a few short years ago. I'm willing to take the gamble. He doesn't want to be a doddering old man, he wants to be HAM again!

So I worry  about my dogs  almost as much as I worry about my kids....I think that makes me a pretty caring person. That's not such a bad thing to be is it?

Swinging back to selling furniture tomorrow and swinging back to being a server on Sunday. I'm a lucky wife, a lucky mom and pretty satisfied person.

There's always room for improvement!

Til next  time...COTTON

Give That Man a Gold Star!

So I had a day off this week and did absolutely nothing until after four PM. I should have been good to go for another two weeks. Truth is "I ain't."

I have worn myself down and having a bit of trouble bouncing back.

Today I didn't have to be at work until 5:30. Today also happened to be my husband's first day off (yeah that's right he gets two off in a row... boy is HE spoiled)

He took Massey to school and when he came back I rolled over and said over my shoulder "Breakfast sounds great if you'd bring it to me up here in the bedroom." He replied "That ain't happening" and walked out of our bedroom. Five minutes later I smelled sausage cooking. Ten minutes later I propped up on two pillows and chowed down. He seemed a little ticked when I mentioned he hadn't brought me a napkin so I just said for him to get me a wash cloth out of the linen closet by  our bedroom. Two minutes later he came back with TWO napkins and a big glass of orange juice. It was wonderful and right in time for the beginning of me watching my recorded episodes of Modern Family and Parks and Recreation from last night. After my breakfast I looked out the window at a gray and rainy day.

Now THIS is a day to sleep! (I thought to myself as I rolled back over)

Three hours later I hollered back downstairs to him in the living room and said "Lunch please. Just a bologna sandwich with spicy mustard and some pickles, nothing fancy but a cold Co-Cola out of the fridge would be nice." At least I said please.

"BAM"! Maybe eight minutes later I had me a whopper of a sandwich, Wavy Lays and a cold Coke sitting in front of me. I had sat up by then, thinking I might be getting bed sores. It was delicious...could have used more mustard but who am I to complain? Thirty minutes later he said from downstairs "Are you going to pick Massey up from school?"

I think he heard my "HA!" from downstairs and five minutes later I heard him leave the house.

He got back from picking Massey up and when she came upstairs to visit me in my ICU  I mentioned for her to ask her Dad if he would iron me a work shirt when she went back downstairs to the land of the living.

I crawled out of bed at 4:30 and crept my way to the shower. When I came out I had a work shirt ironed hanging on the closet door.

We have been together twenty three years (I guess he is a slow learner) but today was just exactly what I needed. I thought one day off would do it but it didn't.

Today was like spending a day at the spa without a bill. I got fed twice, only had to roll over or wipe my face with a napkin, change the channel on the TV and woke up dizzy from being in a prone position for over ten hours...It Was Great!

You know, I am married to a great, great man. Not only does he put up with ME but  has never ONCE tried to kill me.
I am feeling better now. Work wasn't so bad and six hours later I am sitting in a chair at my house writing about my day.

I don't know why Tim loves me except for the fact that he seems to know I love him too....and I do!

Things are getting better every day, it's just taking a while for me to get over helping things to get better.

Thank the Lord he is off  Saturday too!

Til next  time...Give my man a Gold Star, COTTON!

Tim..."You're FIRED."

For Pete's sake...how hard is it to hold a camera for less than ten minutes and record my daughter performing in a half time show? Obviously extremely hard and undo able for my husband.

He didn't want to go to begin with. He worked last night and instead of coming home and going to sleep this morning he stayed up all day watching college football. I took Massey to practice at 9AM this morning and picked her up at 1PM. Well, it was SUPPOSED to be over at 1PM but by 1:30 I was idling out of gas in the parking lot and pretty ticked off. If they say practice is from 9 to 1...it SHOULD be. They had a ballgame tonight and had to be back at the school by 5.

Her coach decided the guard needed to back at the school by 3:30 for another run through which meant when I picked her up well after 1:30, she had two hours to eat, shower, do her little fancy bun thing with her hair and be back at the school for the run through for the Oscars show. No , wait a minute...it wasn't the Oscars but a halftime show.

I know that their guard is good because they practice like crazy and have "Little Napoleon" (I think that is called an oxymoron) pushing them insanely...but today WAS insane. It was over 90 degrees and these kids were whipped before the show, game or even before the buses pulled up to take them to LaGrange.

I took Massey to eat lunch. Even though we're broke she needed some pampering so we split lunch at Panera and I enjoyed letting HER wind down and ME catch up with all her drama, complaining and venting.

Went home to let her shower and change and Tim said he just didn't feel like going to the game.

"I am tired...I worked all night and haven't been to bed."

I told him the Bulldogs didn't have him under contract...they were losing anyway and quit enforcing my belief that UGA fans are sore losers. (Except my friend, Denise... but of course she's a woman...DUH."

I told Tim that "I" was tired too. I don't work a manual labor job like he does...but I work a full time job and take care of the house... laundry...cooking... dogs...carting kids around, yard and even manage to squeeze in yelling at everybody when they need it.

I felt like using my new favorite line I just learned "Shut the FRONT DOOR!"

HOLY MOLEY...believe it or not, it WORKED!

He told Massey he would go to her game...it made Massey happy beyond belief and made me re consider my decision to never have sex with him again.

I asked him to take my cam corder and record the half time show.

I got home from work to discover there wasn't ONE sheet of toilet paper in the house and after blowing my nose into a wash cloth and throwing it into the laundry hamper went to Kroger to buy some. I had cut grass all day between taking Massey to and from the school and was clogged up like a stove pipe with no vent.

When I got home from 'Krogering' Tim and Massey were home and Massey immediately said "Dad is a terrible videographer."

I downloaded his camera action and hollered upstairs to Massey (I am an EXCELLENT holler er) "He got maybe twenty seconds if I count slow."

But at least he went. At least he represented. At least he was in the stands.

Men just aren't programed like women are. Women seem to want to do it all, men seem to want to just get by without being dogged out by their wife.

So I have no record of the halftime show... but Massey has the recollection that her Daddy came to see her. Tim represented. I hate to give him credit... but dang it I have to!

Raising kids is incredibly hard...especially if you do it right. I hope that I am doing it right.

I am proud of Tim for going. I can even forgive him for his shoddy filming abilities. All kid's want is to be loved, whether they admit it or not.

I love my husband for going the extra mile. It wasn't me going, it wasn't the video I wanted but it was a labor of love and the" intent" was there...."An aim or a purpose."

Dang... I wish someone had told me how much work it is to raise kids and husbands at the same time.

Totally kidding (kinda)

Til next time...COTTON