J.J. Devine's Blog, page 20

Changing things up for the new year...

Good morning, everyone!!!

Hubby got a text last evening from a dear friend of ours asking us to come to their place to have dinner New Year's Day. We decided we'd accept this offer and bring in the first day of the New Year with friends.

​I'll be coming off of my seven day early early shifts and after the week I've had, well, it will be nice to relax with friends for a little while :)

​I have a lot of days off next week, which will also be refreshing :) Then to get things back to normal the following week, with the holidays behind us and just having life back will also be nice. 

​I'm looking forward to some of the changes coming next year. My sister and I will be sitting down to plan next year's community garden. I'm very excited about this project for the up and coming year. I love gardening as you know. I adore every aspect of it. So this project will be not only fun but also a bonding time for my sister and I.

​I'm looking forward to the warmer months, as we do this garden and explore the wilderness that is her land. She picked me up a book called Backyard Foraging which will help us in our adventures as we find edible goodies provided by the land on which she lives. 

​I'm looking forward to a few other changes I've decided on as well. Such as being more committed to those things I enjoy doing. Writing of course is top of that list as well as being more adventurous :) Finding new things in this life that bring a smile to my face.

​I've felt very weighted down this year by responsibilities and things in life that I need to let go of but have been very reluctant to let go of, so this year, it that year :) 

​As you get older time seems to fly by at a rapid pace. I want to take it all in and push forward with an adventurous soul. I want to make the most of each day, regardless if it seemingly flies by at a hundred miles per hour. 

​I have some small changes in place in my mind already. I will add to these changes as the time goes on. It's what I do.

​Well I guess I should prepare for this day once again. Things are starting to look up so hoping to keep with that trend today :)

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!







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Things are turning around...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Things are beginning to turn around. I try to stay away from saying things like, "It couldn't get any worse," because frankly, it can, and when you set your mind to thinking it can't, well, life has a way of showing you, yep, it can. We hit that point yesterday of seeing just how much worse it could get then suddenly, there was the silver lining. Things began getting fixed, even in the midst of being down to one register for a few days :) 

It's doable, and we're making it work. That's what is important. I walk through those doors in the morning these days just expecting to have to submit another ticket, LOL. It is what it is.

​Four more work days and I get a break from the insanity :) It is an insanity, however, that I don't mind, even though it does make things tough once in awhile.

​Sometimes the hard stuff gives you insight into the fact you are only human and one day you will look back on some of this stuff and laugh. It also proves you can survive and keep moving forward. Even though things have been falling apart, other things have been looking up, so I consider that a win win. 

​I was able to get my bookwork done in record time, even though, I also had to deal with so many things breaking. Like yesterday, we had to close the store for a few minutes because one register refused to give up a report, sending the other register back in time, which it also refused to give up a report, locking it up. Then we put our collective heads together, figured out what to do, and did it. Store back open, one register completely down, but the other register working. Life moved on...

Today is another day...

​We're still in deep freeze mode around here. From my understanding it will be a little while yet, which is fine. I'm not fond of it being this cold, but it is what it is. I layer my socks to keep my feet warm, layer my clothes to keep my body warm. It works. This weather makes Baby Bear very frisky, LOL. He loves the deep freeze just like his brother. The nice thing is, they also know momma gets a bit cold so they are willing to cuddle a bit more to keep me warm :)

Well time to get this day going, keep your fingers crossed it is a 'normal' day...

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!










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Time to wake up...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Yep, it's still bitter cold here today. My thermometer reads -0 which is just a kind way of telling me it's too damn cold out there LOL.

​Yesterday is thankfully behind me. It was a horrible day all the way from beginning to end. I definitely was the 'submit an online ticket' queen at work yesterday. I felt like every couple of minutes something else was breaking down. Which does happen from time to time, but man, everything at once. Our ice cream/frozen food cooler went from being a nice cold cooler to a sauna in a matter of hours. Thankfully, one of our employees found the breaker for it so we didn't catch fire. Our crushed ice is making snow, yes, we could literally make snowballs out of the ice coming out. And if that wasn't enough, we only have two registers and one of them is now down until a new register arrives in a couple of days. So yeah, it was a pretty rough day at the old Circle K.

​Then later I was blessed with people trying to draw me into politics a topic I do not discuss and rarely discuss with even family members. One of my professional friends got on the topic and social media, which I stand by my old saying, "Do NOT ever discuss politics on social media." I understand we get our feelings hurt over what someone else says about political ramblings. However, discussing politics on social media when using social media for business is career suicide.

​Needless to say, by the time I went to bed last evening I was ready to just listen to nothing, hear nothing, and just be. I grabbed my new salt lamp my son and daughter-in-law got me and set it up in the bedroom. I figure I could use all the help I could get while I was sleeping last evening. It now sits on my nightstand as close as possible to where I lay my head at night. A must have for sure.

​I prayed for patience and to give me acceptance of situations last night before sleep came to me. Because frankly, I am going to need it if today is a repeat of yesterday.

​I'm going to look at this day as a start fresh day. One where even if things go wrong, it is what it is and I can handle this. We get truck today, which is going to be a nice distraction for sure. I also have order to put in for Saturday's truck. So, I will stay busy today for certain :)

Well I guess I better get ready to start this day.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!











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Brrrrrr it's cold outside...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​I cannot believe it is this cold out this morning. We're talking negative numbers here and not supposed to be higher than single digits the entire day. Yep, it's Indiana in the wintertime for sure. 

​I enjoyed our day yesterday. I loved going to see the grandchildren and all their goodies. I loved having the kids over for the afternoon. I loved afterwards sitting around the living room with hubby, watching tv, napping, and just enjoying doing nothing.

​Now it is time to get real life back in motion. We have a busy work day ahead, so much to do, so little time to do it LOL. I have to keep reminding myself today is Tuesday, not Monday. That's the only downfall about holidays on weekdays, it throws me off on what day it is. I had to write a few things down I remembered last night on what I'm supposed to do at work today so I don't forget. Like I said, being Tuesday instead of Monday is throwing me off a bit :)

​I do early morning shifts all week and our truck days are thrown off by a day both days, so I have to plan for those hours wise so I stay within my hours.

​The only downfall is all this super cold. I move around better when it is a bit warmer and seeing as it is not, well, it is harder for this old lady to talk herself into going outside. At least there's snow on the ground. Because if it is going to be this cold then there should be snow to make it pretty out there :)

Well this blog really isn't helping me want to go out, so I guess I better stop it and prepare for this day.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!






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Merry Christmas!!!

Good morning, everyone and Merry Christmas to all of you!!!

​I don't know how we did it, but hubby and I managed to get everything done we set out to do. His drivers meeting the other day ended up being almost five hours long. So yes, I sat there for almost that entire five hours. I did run over to the Mall, which surprisingly wasn't really all that cool. At least all the spaces were taken even though the shops inside weren't really anything I would go to much. 

​I will say the economy is booming in our area. There were so many stores that didn't have a thing on the shelves due to the seasonal shopping. I was totally floored to say the least.

​We also got snow yesterday!!! I love a white Christmas for certain :) White we do have in abundance and that makes my heart smile even though I have to drive in it this morning :)

​We went to my sister's house last evening for a nice Christmas Eve get together. It was a lovely time seeing everyone and enjoying the great nephews :) My sister managed to find some amazing books that I can not only use in my research on my writings, but also we can use this spring and summer. She even found one on Trail Markers!!! 

​I have to say I'm very blessed. It was wonderful seeing all the bright shiny faces of all the kids enjoying the holiday. I will have all my grandchildren around me later today and I can't wait to see their sweet little faces and hear the excitement in their voices when papaw and I go visit them before they come to our house. 

​There's just something about this season and children that go together. I firmly believe it is the magic of the season that flows not only in their smiles but in their eyes as well. Their innocent belief in something bigger than themselves that we as adults lose over time.

​I miss those Christmas mornings when our children would walk into the room after Santa had come. Their eyes lighting up with excitement. The laughter, the thrill of the moment. I think that was always my favorite thing about this holiday that I will forever miss now that all our children are grown.

​I've been cooking the ham all night. I'm trying something a little different with it this year. I'm using apple butter as the baste. I used it on the turkey at Thanksgiving and it made the turkey really moist and yummy :) So we'll have to see how it does on the ham :) 

​I do very little cooking wise on this holiday these days. I make the ham and we just do sandwiches and chips. I do make my usual jello salad and cranberry bread from hubby's mom's recipe along with some cookies, which hubby and I baked yesterday :) It's just a more laid back holiday around here these days, which is present enough for this old momma :) A big difference from the days I used to bake for days upon days and cook just as many days and into the night before Christmas. Sometimes I miss that, but other times I'm glad I don't have that much to do :)

​Well it is almost time to head out to work. 

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!











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Busy Saturday ahead...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​All in good time paid off. I managed to get everything done I planned to do yesterday and then some :) 

​I'm sad to say my favorite little shop here in town that opened a few months back will be closing the doors today :( I'm glad she came into the store yesterday because I was planning on hitting up her shop this weekend so I went right after work yesterday and grabbed some last minute Christmas gifts that I was wanting to get for the girls. I won't say what just in case the daughter-in-law is reading this ;) Hi, Denise :) you just have to wait until Christmas to see what it is :)

​Hubby got home last evening and decided we needed to go out to eat. I'm not one to argue about things like that. Any day I don't have to cook is a good day LOL.

​This morning I'm riding over to Kokomo with hubby. He has a drivers meeting first thing this morning, then we are heading out to do the rest of our shopping. We just have a few items left to pick up and then hopefully it's home to do some baking. Otherwise the baking will have to wait until tomorrow morning.

​I just feel like this year I am so far behind on my normal seasonal things to do. I hate being this far behind, but it is what it is I guess. I'm working longer hours this year at the day job, which is fine, but I just need to find ways to get more in on a daily basis. Maybe next year :)

​I'm taking my laptop with us this morning so I can work on my WIP while hubby is in his meeting. This will give me a sense of accomplishment I hope :) Which will also start this day off on the right foot. Another plus. I may have written a hundred words yesterday before work, so not enough to really push the mark. I also need to get the editing process going on another WIP seeing as I have a couple of people pushing to read the next story :)

​While hubby and I were out to dinner last evening a reader fan really made my night. Her and her husband came over and sat down to chat with us. It was really cool. The lady said her husband said, "Hey, there is your author sitting over there." It made my heart smile :)

​Well I guess I should really start getting ready for our big day.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!











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I'm getting there, slowly but surely...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Of course nothing worked out as planned and there was a ton more to do after the grandchildren left yesterday, so I was just happy to get done what I did get done.

​I did manage to get all their clothes together that I had here. Three trash bags later, LOL. Then washed and dried all the rest of the laundry, which I will be folding and putting away after work today. I still have the vacuum to run and the coffee cups to wash, which will also be this afternoon after work. But I did manage to wrap all the presents except two, which I had hidden and forgot about until late last night. But I'll get to those as well.

​Yeah, sometimes it's more important to just be present in the moment and enjoy the company. Which is what I ended up doing yesterday with Bug and Sis. We cuddled, we watched movies, we laughed, and we chatted. Which to me was just as important as getting a few chores done. 

​The cookie baking hasn't begun yet, but I'll get to that. I need to get the kitchen finished up so that is this evening. Hubby should be home at some point this evening, then it is off to Kokomo tomorrow because he has a drivers meeting and why not ride with him so I can do some last minute shopping out of town. 

​Life is just like that. You make plans, you only get so much of those plans accomplished, but you keep plugging away until you've accomplished all you want to get done. 

​I have to say that is one major aspect writing has taught me, nothing happens in a single day. So you have to just be happy with what you've done and move into the next day with the drive to get the rest fulfilled. Then repeat if you still don't meet those goals.

​Hence the reason I'm up so early this morning. I wasn't able to meet my writing goals these last couple of days because this grandma doesn't write the steamy scenes with grandchildren running about. So this morning I need to catch up on the writing I wanted to do while I was off work these last two days.

​I have the weekend off but it will be full of running here and there and everywhere. So keeping my fingers crossed I can get the things done I still need to do.

Well if I am going to get any writing in I better get busy.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!









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Made myself sleep in...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​Have you ever tried to make yourself sleep in? Oh my word, what was I thinking. That was the worst two hours of sleep ever. I woke up at almost 5 a.m. which is sleeping in already, but I decided this morning, no I'm NOT getting up. LOL, yeah, so I close my eyes, lay there, toss, turn, drift in and out of sleep, and then say, the hell with it, and get up. 

​Yeah, it was a bit nuts to say the least. So, now I'm up, almost finished with the first cup of coffee, trying to decide if I want to go ahead and get busy or sit here for a little while. 

​Shadow is half howling, half growling at the train going through town right now. He really isn't fond of trains. So far Baby Bear isn't disturbed by it, thankfully, otherwise these two husky mixes would be in full blown howl in my entryway and kitchen. 

​Today I need to finish up the things I didn't get done yesterday. Not too much but a few things. I did manage to have that catch all area of my bedroom all put in order before 7:30 a.m. yesterday and then I had most of the kitchen reorganized by 9:30 a.m. 

​I did get some more shopping done yesterday and only have a few things left to get before the big day. So that is a plus. Hubby will be home tomorrow evening, maybe, and then we'll head out on Saturday after his driver's meeting to finish things up. Which will be a plus.

​I'm hoping we get to the cookie baking today. The oldest granddaughter seems pretty excited about that, so keep your fingers crossed we have time to get that in before it's time for them to go home today. Then that part of our day is done as well :)

​We watched a few movies last evening. It was nice having the house filled with laughter besides my own for a change LOL. There's something about laughing alone that gives off an insane feel to the atmosphere LOL.

​I guess I didn't get up early enough. Both kids, who were swearing to sleep in yesterday, are now both up and drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows and watching tv. Yeah, there really isn't any true sleeping in huh?!?

​Well I guess I should get this day started seeing as this house is now fully awake.

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!











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I know I know it's my day off, why am I up so early???

Good morning, everyone!!!

​I know it's my day off and I'm up at 5 a.m. Well, let me explain. I've been getting up at 2 a.m. for a few days now, so technically this is sleeping in. Besides, I have work I need to do before 7:45 a.m. and of course I have to get woke up before I can do it. 

So, here I am, sitting at the table, coffee in front of me, keyboard at my fingertips, and waking up so I can get started on this day. It's my day off so I can take a nap later if I need to :)

​I figure if I get started at 6 then I should have most of everything done that I want to get done before I take the grandkids to school. Then a trip to the bank before coming back home and getting a little more done. 

​This afternoon I need to go to the store, grab a few things for tomorrow such as breakfast food and lunch foods, dog food and cat food, because you never want to run out of those things for sure :) 

​I also want to work on writing today, because frankly, I haven't worked on it for a week now and I miss the hell out of it. When I woke up this morning all I could see was a vision of the scene I'm working on, playing out in my head. Yep, the reminder I need to quit ignoring them and get back to their scene.

I've been looking forward to these two days off for a few days. If I didn't have the cable man coming this morning, I would probably remain in pjs today LOL. But, alas I have too much to do today to stay in warm snugly pjs and that sorta sucks really. 

​I find out today if hubby comes home tonight or this weekend. Either way I'm good. That man is a hard worker for sure. He is always thinking ahead and with his run not going out for a few weeks, he needs to make some money, his words not mine LOL. But I'm very grateful he thinks along those lines. 

​Well I guess I really should quit boring you to death and get out of this chair and get some things ready for the day.

Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!








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I'm up already...

Good morning, everyone!!!

​I'm up, coffee in front of me, keyboard at my fingertips, and eyes half open. I'm pretty sure this means I'm awake...

​Today's my Friday, but it is also a very busy day. We not only have truck this morning, we also have a meeting, and the books still need to be done, and the lottery, don't get me started on that lottery nightmare that has plagued me for days now.

​All I can say is it is probably good it is my Friday :)

​I have a ton of things to do around the house when I get off work today as well. I have to get my bedroom organized, which is something I've been putting off for awhile seeing as I've got a ton of bags in there for the Christmas season along with some overflow from the things I usually keep in the living room during the NOT Christmas season. However, the cable man (hopefully my son or nephew) will be here tomorrow morning and will need access to my internet box, which means they need access to where all this junk is. I guess it's time to find a new place for everything. When setting up the appointment, my brain froze with when would be a good time, just the fact I had the day off was all I thought about. It wasn't until much later, when hubby called back, that I remembered what that would consist of, so yep, time to clean out the catch all.

​Just thinking about all of this makes me exhausted and I haven't even woke up completely yet. Oh well, such is life...

​For those people with a Circle K in your area, grab you up one of our rewards cards. I paid $2.60 for 11 regular size candy bars and a apple fritter yesterday. See we have tons of clubs, one of them being the snickers club. Some of our snickers bars are on sale right now for .80 cents. However, when you buy 10 you get full price off. I ended up with so much off with that and my $2 off that I ended up paying very little for another round of these candy bars. Which of course I will be using for stocking stuffers this year :) We are also doing The Twelve Days of Christmas and giving away some really awesome stuff for those people with the Circle K app. 

​I do love my job and I really mean that, I'm not just saying it. I enjoy the people I work with. My boss is amazing. The job does make me think which is always a plus, making it challenging from time to time. Like this time around with the boss taking a few vacation days. All in all it is just a really great job.

I've about finished my first cup of coffee, so maybe my brain will start working at some point now, LOL. Maybe...

​This morning hubby called me like he does when I work this shift to make sure I'm out of bed. Of course, this morning being the last of my nine day stretch I was a bit harder to get out of the bed. I just wanted to stay there, under the blankets, and pretend I could sleep in. However, it wasn't in the cards. Baby Bear's collar got hooked on the lace table cloth covering my coffee table in the other room. All of the sudden I heard this loud crash and shot out of bed. 

​There he stood in the hall, my lace table cloth hooked to his collar, dragging behind him, the tv remotes, the remotes for the lights to the Christmas tree and fish tank lights, my candles, and reindeer candy dish spread all across the living room floor. You know all I could think, was thank goodness it wasn't the Christmas tree. 

​See Baby Bear and our cat, Lexi, have this strange relationship. She comes up flipping her tail at him, growling at him, planting her little 7 pound body in front of him, and then the chase is on. They do this constantly. Every day, all day and night. I swear those two are friends and love playing together. However, with a large six and a half foot tree on a stand in my living room, and that being Lexi's go to place, one is never sure just when the Christmas tree may come down involuntarily. Lexi of course will be the one sitting there looking at me like, 'he did it.' and Baby Bear will be the one with the guilty look on his face, of course from the other room where the fall will have scared him to death.

​See from the time Lexi came here several years ago, she's acted more like a small dog than a cat. Recently, if I lay down or sit down on the loveseat in our living room, she's taken to laying on the floor like the big dogs, right beside the loveseat. Yeah, you've heard of big dogs thinking their small dogs, well, this is a very small cat thinking she's a big dog. If the dogs bark at something, she growls. If she wants to play, she looks up Baby Bear. It is just an all out strange relationship, but it works for them. :)

​Well I guess I better get this second cup of coffee down and see if I can wake up some more. I have a LOT to do this morning and need it done before 9 a.m.

​Everyone have a lovely day!!!

Blessings to all!!!









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