Tis the Season?

OK so here is the scoop... The Kevbear has taken a second job to get by. That's right, I got hired by a company that I cannot name (their policy) but it is not Home Depot and is a store like it and will be opening shortly. It has disrupted our lives, no one is very happy about it... Especially the doggies!!! Papa is not around anymore!!! But the new company (ALL STAR REAL ESTATE) could use a cash infusion and there are still bills to pay. I am really hoping this will be short lived and not more then a few weeks... AND I cannot curse there, ever... Not getting home until 11 at night SUCKS DONKEY DICKS too! So there is the scoop... don't tell a soul... just our little secret...

Doggies are very happy that Papa is at the home office today (in the garage) and have left me a present!

I was overjoyed to walk into the hall and find the present so I just had to share the moment... should it be a Hallmark card? And of course no one was talking... they all clammed up as soon as I yelled "who pooped in the house?"
And when I went in the kitchen to grab a bowl of oatmeal and some vitamins...
Did you notice the Special K's on my vitamins! The doggies were all right there ready to help with breakfast...
While fighting off the doggies I noticed a rainbow on the floor (did you catch that?) and so went looking for more!
And there was another one hoovering over the range! I am not sure if rainbows are angels or fairies (in this house... a fairy?) but I think it is one or the other. There are some that say it is just a reflection from a prism (like on the table?) but I prefer magic any day...
I need to get into town and help Mom with her outdoor decorations today and maybe finish off her tree... and then when I get home perhaps there will be more Christmas Cards in the mailbox as this year they seem to be a little thin and the wall is not nearly as covered as it should be (hint, hint...)

But I was late getting ours out so all of you in Europe and Canada are hereby granted until New Years Eve to get them to us. Our shopping is done, just a few boxes to put up, and some presents to be wrapped. My sister arrives tomorrow night, hope I can get off early to go pick her up... Note to self, never let Mr. Grumpy talk you into getting "a real job" ever again!

Oh and one more thing since this is the holidays and I firmly believe in Christmas Magic...

1) My bud SCOTT-O-RAMA says that comments are like heroin to Bloggers so give me a fix for the holidays...

2) Watch the movie LOVE ACTUALLY. It is perfect to let you know why everyone should believe in Christmas Magic... even if I asked for it for Christmas and do not get it again this year...

Second Thoughts

There are times when I could just let all the holidays go by the way and travel at this time of year (don't tell Mr. Grumpy). We had such a blast being away last year at DisneyWorld and had none of the usual hassle's... maybe every other year... A cruise? An island? Our place in Puerto Rico? DisneyWorld again? Except for the crowds...But we got to meet new (old) friends... Mr. Grumpy got to be a different dwarf for a week... Mr. Happy!

And even the Kevbear (who wants everything perfect) got to be relaxed and be Mr. Joe Cool...

Even though you could hardly tell I had grown a handlebar 'stache...

And a life with everyone waiting on you and being limo'ed around is not all that bad...

Plus there is really something for being nice and warm, like right now after it snowed again last night... The idea of a Caribbean Island sounds OK!

And we get to meet such great people when we travel!

We'll just have to see how 2008 goes, but be forewarned family & friends... it is in my head to go somewheres warm every other year! (At least) So now back to the grind of me being insane with all the decorating... Oh and before I forget my great buddy Kim (such a fox... if I was straight...) took Brenda and I to lunch yesterday

And when I mentioned to Bren that we might have our Christmas Party while she was in Hawaii (the somewheres warm place!)... she was devastated and cried...
So I might be leaning towards a 30th party... because the last thing poor Brenda needs are (more?) bags under her eyes.... Love Ya Sweetie!!!

It's Beginning To Look...

Yesterday I was hard at it. Those of you who know me know that this is my time of year! And for those of you (and we know who you are!) that are calling about the outside decorations, just be aware that there are transformations happening (on the inside). So here is a taste of things to come. And if Macy's calls again asking me to fix their Christmas windows just one more time...

Baby Jesus got knocked out of the dining room by the New Disney Tree & Santa!

Mr. Grumpy wanted (His?) Disney Tree in the living room so we compromised on the dining room. The Main Village gets the primo window & piano again this year in the dining room...

And the Baby Jesus booted out (act of God?) the toy train and took over the entry...

The toy train got another primo location, the side living room window...

And the top of the one entertainment center has passed the "Can I live with it test" and will stay and not be redone for a third time...

OK so the master bedroom will be completed today, somehow I misplaced my oldest Nativity? And the guest bedroom & guest bathroom will be started. I will get the lights on the tree (which takes at least 3 hours... Boogers can we get a pre-lite tree someday? And I am now headed into town to see where is that Nativity that I have had since birth... true, it was a present from my Grandma Krueger (handmade!) for my first Christmas... which would make it, what, somewheres around 40 years old... Also not too sure about my idea of one of the trains going around the dining room table... logistics?... but it would make it easy to pass the food!

Still up in the air over the ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY, could be the 16th... could be the 23rd?... or maybe the 30th??? What say you revelers?

Changing of the Season

Actually went into town yesterday! As part of our eat local I had found we could buy direct from the dairy (thanks Eberhards!) and so for a minimum of $20 we can get local dairy from now on. Just doing a little bit more to help the environment out... As I try to kill 20 birds with one stone each trip to town I also stopped at Don & Pam's to donate the fall pumpkins to their deer food, just keep the deer at your end of the ranch!They all appear happy and well fed... and of course they all have names! And I got the stationary finalized for the business, something I kept forgetting to do...

And I stopped at the Christmas storage facility (Mom's garage) to get another load of stuff because it is the changing of the seasons...

Santas (Radko Cookie Jar Collection) boot out the fall decorations...

And the first nativity is starting to take shape... baby Jesus always looks so happy!
And then when I got home it was back to trying out this bread recipe which turned out as described and was very east to leave & forget while I ran into town...

I found the recipe in Mother Earth News, a reprint from the New York Times and it is here if you want to try it. I was very impressed, not quite sourdough... but good & crusty.

The weather has warmed to almost 40 so I will venture out and fill up the porch with more logs and try for a few runs of manure down to the garden today. I was a good boy and spent half the morning on real estate (work) stuff and the other half starting in on the hundreds of Christmas cards we send out each year.

And remember tomorrow is WESTIE WEDNESDAY! The hostess will be Victoria, sister to our last guest blogger...

Turkey Day!

We had it easy this year, just Mom and us... no big deal... except it is a Kevbear function. But I was good, everyone asked me to keep it simple and I did. I did not polish the silver for 3 days prior to T-Day. I did not go over the entire house making sure everything was immaculate. I did not wash the doggies so they looked perfect and smelled better. AND I did not stress over any of it! But what I did do...

Was make the dining room a little bit more... festive?
I did re-make up the guest room so it was perfect for Mom.

I did trick out the front porch.

I did move my office to the garage & reclaim the dining room for a dining room.

We both cleaned the house.

I did use the good china and just 1 set of the silver S&P shakers (unpolished).

I did cook all day (just like everyone else).

And I did leave dishes to do tomorrow!

The table gets set!

The table gets filled up...
The food gets eaten, the table gets cleared...
The happy campers kick back and decide on which sales need to get hit first thing in the crack of dawn shopping frenzy...
So it was a pretty good day all around this house, a damn fine day!

Best thing; part of the dinner was grown right here by us this year...

Worst thing; Pam & Don brought a lemon meringue pie (A Kevbear Fav) and there is none left!

Time to join the Grumpyisorious and get to bed, and no I am not going hog wild shopping tomorrow, we are having a lean Christmas and I am only getting very practical gifts. Night all...

Even More Rain?

And the first snow mixed in too... It's 35 out now so it will be icy when Mr. Grumpy heads off to the slave state of a job at 6:00 AM, my poor guy. I think I hate his job more then he does. So with it being a rainy / snowy day we hung around the house. I worked on our Christmas letter and the other half caught up on EBAY. This is our second Christmas letter and while I despised them for many years the logistics of writing 200 or so messages just got to be overwhelming. What with the baking, shopping, decorating, wrapping, planning the ultimate Christmas Party... and oh yeah work too.

We have finalists in guys wanting the houseboy position. After laying off the last housekeeper we could really use some help around here with the chores...

This is Scott and he knows how to heat up a kitchen...

Matt says he is good with wood and trees and stuff in the garden...

Craig says he is great with clothes... both in, out & folding...

Rod loves a pool and promises to work really hard...

So it's a hard call. What I was hoping for was a little old Mexican lady who could clean & cook & teach us some Spanish. But since we cannot seem to find the perfect housekeeper we might have to go to the B list with one of the above... What do you think?

And the very bestest thing that happened today was Max (major hero material) delivered another load of shit for my gardens! I had forgotten he was coming, he had not, and then he gave me a ration of ---- about my being a fair weather gardener. I never should have given him a break on the jock strap photo...

Tomorrow Couponology!