4 days until the Circus!

So, in four days we are going to introduce JMS to the circus. Yes, the Circus is coming to Lexington. (Try clicking on the photo above.) But, I think I'm more excited that Kim and her family are coming up from Tennessee to see the show with us. I love the thought of JMS getting to play with her little boy, and the idea that I get to hold her new baby girl. And, you all know that despite how exhausting entertaining can be....I love to have visitors in the house. :) Ok...time to get ready for work.

Introducing my brother...

So, my brother doesn't get any press time on my blog. I saw this photo on his wife's myspace page...and loved it. He actually looks happy. If you know my brother, that does not get captured often. :) He is holding my nephew Eli (born March 2008).

Today was my dad's 60th birthday. Yikes...that means my 30th is right around the corner.

I just finished working my 5th day of my 6 day work week. What were customers looking for tonight: men's wallet, kitchen apron, glass angels, and a white bathroom vanity. Did you know that we don't have any aprons in the store except for those with fall leaves on them? I wouldn't have thought of a kitchen apron as a seasonal item. And, no, we do not sell glass angels.

Weekend Shoppers

Ok...all of you shoppers out there. Take this as a "coaching!" If you go into a store, please respect it as you would respect your parents home. Let me give you some examples:

1. Do not allow your child(ren) to take all of the hanging signs off of the shelves and throw them on the floor. Do you go into your parents home and take wall hangings off the walls and put them on the floor?

2. Do not allow your child(ren) to put on the halloween costumes (as if we are a dress-up closet), run around the store, and then drop them on the floor. Do you go into your parents home and try on their clothes and then leave them at the door? Ok, so my mom might not have a bat-girl costume in her closet, but you get the point.

3. Do not allow your child(ren) to try on ten pairs of shoes and leave them all on the floor. Do you go into your parents home and try on their shoes and leave them other than where you found them? (This is more a note for the women, than the children.)

4. Do not pick something up in one area and put it down in another. Do you go into your parents home and randomly place all of their belongings in other places? I know my mom does this at my house...but I certainly don't do it in hers. :) Love you, mom.

Do you shoppers realize what kind of money you are wasting on us having to pay people to clean up after you???? DO YOU?!?

Seriously, how do women's bras end up hanging on a peg in the silverware aisle? And, bouncy play balls underneath racks in the girl's department?

Oh, and as promised folks were looking for the following items today: ladders, fire pits, window chalk, sea monkeys, and again...the front door. It kills me that people don't know where the front door is.

Fruit of my labor...

OK...the title is a bit fruity (ha ha...there I go again)...and JMS is truly the fruit of my labor. In reality, I intended to show you pictures of my mums and the mulch I put out front. But, I took this picture to show off the Winthrop shirt...and I couldn't help but share.

Oh...and this big guy...no labor involved. I feed him two square (in the dog world I guess) meals a day. Water him...bathe him...clean up muddy prints he leaves around the house...and overall get some minor amounts of love in return. How can you deny this face? OK...so the picture I promised. Yes, red mulch. The mums are in the flower boxes. The mums are all a rustic pink color, except for the two siding the front door; they are sunshine yellow. Mom your geranium is still going strong on the right corner of the porch. Look at that rotten field of weeds next to our property. Fortunately, because it is the month for the Grand Tour of Homes, they sent some lawn care folks out to bush whack the weeds to a height that we can now see over.

My day off.

JMS was enjoying his jungle gym in this photo. This was definitely a good buy! He likes climbing on stuff and he likes being outside. This has allowed for both, and doesn't require much participation on our part. We can sit outside and let him go wild! JMS is trying on my $3 fake crocs. Hey, it is that time of year when it is too warm for house slippers, but you still want something soft and comfy on your feet when you're not at work. He is fascinated with shoes.

So, I had today off of work. (Last one before I work six straight.) I took JMS for his flu shot...never fun, and then we hit Lowe's for some mulch and seasonal flowers. Then, while JMS enjoyed a nearly 4 hour nap, I mulched our front gardens, and I replaced the flowers in the flower boxes with mums. Hopefully these will last until the first snow. Maybe I'll get some pictures on here next time.

Our Pear Tree Lives

We had some landscaping done. Immediately after the pear tree was planted it lost all of its leaves and we thought it was dead. Well....look at the beautiful flowers that are popping out! Good choice!

My sister got her Ring!

My sister is a FIRSTIE and she received her class ring last weekend!!! From this photo, do you think she's excited? Her sponsor (in the photo) was also my sponsor and my husband's sponsor when we were there. Too cool!

So on other notes. In the retail world yesterday folks were in search of: laminators, ironing board covers, green chilis, and hat hooks. Odd mix.

JMS had a bubble bath last night...well, he gets one every night, but last night we finished off the bubble bath so it was extra bubbly. He enjoyed clapping the bubbles, eating the bubbles, and dressing himself in bubbles. It was fun to watch.

Family in Cincy lost power from the storms for 26 hours. Dad got to use his generator; yes, he sounded excited to get to do that. We offered them a comfortable place to stay and grab dinner, but they were troopers and decided to ride the wind storm. I guess that was a good choice; news reports said that there were tipped over semi-trailors decorating the interstates. Yikes. We had wind here, but no damage.