Bill and I usually give money at Christmas to the kids and I saw a cool idea at Money Saving Pro. So this year instead of just sticking it in a card I decided I’d try to be a little more creative and try their idea and make little money gift boxes. I can put little charms and crystal figurines and whatever else I can find inside as an extra surprise. I think they’ll enjoy that.

As for the grandkids we usually spend more on them, but this year we have two extra ones so that makes 5 instead of the normal 3. For the little girls we don’t like to buy toys because their house is already overflowing. Last year we got them both really nice book cases for their room and a bench toybox the year before, but they have so many toys that it’s useless except to sit on.

We do at least buy them one small toy so they have something to open when they come over for Christmas Eve dinner. Nate of course is 6 and 1/2 and he doesn’t have a house full of toys so we don’t mind getting him a few instead of all the educational things his parents get him. He goes through phases of collecting things, like one year it was Spiderman, then motorcycles, then dinosaurs.

He now likes remote control objects, he has a motorcycle, car and truck, but he doesn’t have an airplane or helicopter yet. I was checking on the airplanes and remote control helicopters online and saw that there are some pretty cool looking ones that I can choose from and I know he’ll love whatever we choose because he’s such a grateful little boy and really appreciates everything.

The little girls are spoiled and they have such a huge family on the Mom’s side that they always get too many toys and don’t seem to appreciate anything and that’s the big difference between Nate and them. With Ethan I intend on getting him his first highchair and I guess I’ll have to send it because they wont be able to come up and the way Miss Natalie is growing, she’s already 15 pounds at 2 months, it will definitely be clothes.

I wish to thank everyone that is a Veteran of all wars in the past and present day and those that are still serving and risking their life on a daily bases. My brother was in the Korean War, but the majority of friends and people I have known served in the Vietnam War. A war where our young people served with no thanks what so ever. They were persecuted and spat at and made to feel ashamed for fighting for their country.

To me that was very sad because I had friends that died in that war. In every other war there was always thanks and parades and the young men and women were welcomed home with open arms and treated like heroes. Our Vietnam Vets were made to feel like dirty scum for years and went unappreciated for so long, what a tragedy and injustice.

Of course it’s totally different now and no matter where we go someone always walks up to Bill shakes his hand and thanks him for serving our country and welcomes him home. How do they know he served his country? Because he wears all his pins and ribbons on his cap, he flies his colors. To these Veterans I especially give my thanks and I’m eternally grateful for your service to a thankless Past generation of people that were so cruel.

Have you hugged a Vet today? I get to hug one every single day and I’m so grateful he made it home. History Of Veterans Day can be found at that link for those that would like more information.

There are some pretty devious people in this world and some of them in our own families, the black sheep that no one likes to talk about. I told you about my cousin before and if you missed that post you can read My Cousin BJ And The Day I Saw A Real  Monster. During his lifetime he pulled a lot of scams most were petty and he served a lot of time in jail and different prisons.

He was always pulling something usually insurance scams because they would settle instead of going to court. Of course if they ever got that far which they never did because he was a really good actor from everything I know. He would simply disappear till things settled down and then he would start over somewhere else. I never could understand anyone having the nerve to even try some of his stunts.

I know of a few he would do like renting a Uhaul trailer and then his partners would be in a car or whatever and they would stage a wreck and if someone actually got hurt then all the better of course they acted like complete strangers. Then there was always the mall or store or parking lot where he would always scope out a potential danger like ice or a wet floor and he said that was always good for a couple thousand.

My cousin is one person I was afraid to be around because I never knew what he might be up to and I certainly wouldn’t have wanted him on my property because of the home insurance stunts he pulled. All home owners and renters normaly have insurance, at least he assumed they did and believe me that man could always find a way to get hurt on someones property an from what he would brag about the home owner was sometimes involved.

He always acted like the world owed him something, I do believe he was a sociopath. He definitely had little regard for anyone’s feelings or the welfare of anyone other than himself. If you look it up you will find that they are manipulative and will lie to gain personal pleasure and profit and besides he would brag that they had diagnosed him as antisocial and said he lacked morals and exhibited no guilt about anything he ever did.

I have my office setup in the second bedroom and I got rid of the old double bed that was in here because it took up too much room and we seldom ever get overnight company so it didn’t matter to me, but recently we thought Eric was going to be able to come up here in November for Thanksgiving so I needed something that would be more comfortable than the air mattress. It’s always nice when you find what you’re looking for.

I didn’t want another bed in this room, my office because if we had guests I wouldn’t be able to use my computer so I moved the small leather couch we had in the living room which no one uses anyhow except Sadie up to my office so then I decided I needed something like a futon, but would look like a piece of contemporary furniture. My taste is very eclectic so I’m really not fussy and I’m also more economical than in my younger years.

I have never been very formal so I wanted something simple, but it also had to have one end be able to raise up because Eric couldn’t lay flat because of the gallbladder problem and I didn’t want him sleeping in a recliner. I found a simple futon sofa bed which actually raises to different levels on one end, perfect problem solved. I love looking at furniture and that’s always the first place I head when we go shopping.

Now that he had the gallbladder removed that problem is solved, but he wont be able to come up after all at least not for awhile. At least now I have something the grandkids can take a nap on when they come over and I like how simple it is and light weight. It came with the suede like cover that I can remove and clean which I also like. I still need to get one of those downfilled toppers to soften it just a bit.

I took a picture below and Shadow decided he wanted in the photo. So far both dogs have stayed off, it’s like they know it’s for Eric’s use whenever he’s able to make it.