Pandora's Casket

Now that November is coming to a close it is time to start looking at the various policies that we have relating to insurance. One thing that I usually do at the end of the year is to compare the various companies that offer a discount dental plan for families. This way I know that when it is time to switch whether I want to stay with the company I am signed with or signup with a new company. It can be a real pain doing the comparisons and making phone calls for quotes but if it saves a little money here and there it is worth the time in doing this.

I already looked at the dental plan that Trevor has issued by his place of employment. That went a lot quicker than I had thought it would and he made the choice to stay right where he was with whom he was being covered by. A pretty good plan actually so he is very lucky to have that good of coverage and at an affordable price.

The next person I have to look into is Shaina's. They are having an open enrollment for her health plan and she wants to make sure who she should go with. They are offering three options to choose from so this one might take a bit of time to do. Of course doing my own & for the boys will be last it looks like. At least I have until January 10th to decide which gives me plenty of time to make the correct decision.

This was an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Everyone was home and having a good time either cooking, playing or watching the game. The grand babies were running a muck all over the place either crying, laughing or screaming which was in a way comical. One would start then the other would stop and vice versa. Very noisy and fun time.

Dinner went well with the girls and even the guys helping with dinner cooking and even the clean up. For the first time in a long time this Thanksgiving everyone was in a good mood. There was some odd conversations over dinner but the funniest was about Norm and wearing maternity clothes out in public. Very funny indeed.

Shay had to go back to work so we had an early dinner at 4 and I actually liked that a lot better than the normal 5-5:30 that usually do.

All and all one of the best Thanksgivings on record!

I have been talking a bit about Shay and her quest on locating the perfect Yule dress in the plus size clothing sections at our local malls. Well, finally she found the dress that she fell in love with just this afternoon. It is so very pretty and the color will look so good with her skin tone.

She was having a hard time looking for the perfect dress as most of the plus size clothing that was in the stores she looked at just did not seem young and fashionable for a person her age. Searching at least three malls in our surrounding malls yet always coming home empty handed. She began searching online last weekend but thought that it was going to be more time wasting. Even though Yule is a few weeks away she was feeling the stress of not only finding the dress in the plus size clothing sections but worrying about delivery times also.

She used the site that I sent her and lo and behold she found the dress! I think she said that it was on sale as well but I am a little foggy on that part. She said that the site was one of the best clothing sites as the clothing had a younger touch to it.

Now she can relax a bit about the dress. Now the new quest is the shoes to match. haha I have shown the picture of the dress below that she has finally chosen. Pretty isn't it?

Thanksgiving and Yule are very special occasions and we all want to look our bests for the dinners and get togethers that we will be attending. Shay was looking for that special plus size dress for our family gathering at Yule. Since Thanksgiving is more casual here there was no need in anything special.

She started first at the malls as they are now filled with festive dresses and pant outfits for the holiday season. She came up empty handed as she said that the plus size dress selection seemed to be geared for the older crowd or so expensive that the dresses she found were completely out of her budget. Such a shame really as this should not be the case with any dress size.

Shay decided that she would look for the Yule plus size dress online as there are so many more places to shop and with a wider selection for her size. I think that this mode of shopping will be the way to go in finding that dress she is looking for. Not to mention it will not be something that everyone else will have! I can not wait to see the dress that she finally picks

The young girl across the street has just announced (actually it was two weeks ago) that she is having a baby. They are a really nice couple and already have a 4 year old so they are so excited to add another child to their family. One thing that she was telling me that since she is a larger young woman she has a very hard time finding plus size maternity clothes that look nice and fit well. A lot of the clothes that she said that she has found looks out of date and style. For a young woman of 25 she wants to find plus size maternity clothes that fits with her life style and taste.

I told her that there are many great sites online that offer a wide array of plus size maternity clothes that she would probably really like. I know that when the girls were pregnant we looked at a lot of sites that offered many sizes that fit all body types. It is just a shame that some stores do not add a little more flair to their styles for women that wear larger sizes.

Hopefully she will find some fun and comfortable winter clothes that she will love to wear!

Shopping has never been easier this year. In fact I already have started my shopping and the gifts are beginning to pile up (little piles that is). I have been going through my lists and trying to get as much purchased as possible in advance. Today I did a search for a pair of big and tall jeans for Norm as he is a big guy and the boys want to get him a couple of pairs of pants for Yule this year.

Since he really only likes one style of big and tall jeans to wear (just think about the 80's and you have the jeans he likes) it can be a nightmare to find the right clothes for him. That is why I do not buy him clothing unless it is a huge t-shirt or something like that. But the boys wanted to do something special for him this year so they picked out a couple of pairs of big and tall jeans that hopefully Norm will like.

Of course, I will save the receipts just in case they are to modern or do not fit him! I can now cross him off the old Yule shopping list!

Sunday was Nick's birthday. He officially is a preteen now. It is hard to believe that he is 12 years old now. Seems like only yesterday he was jumping off the dresser onto the bed screaming POWER BOMB!

Before the family party he went to a good friends who also shared the same date for his birthday. Which while he was gone gave me time to decorate the dining room and bake his cake. For giggles I put the candles on that keep re-lighting. I was the only one that knew they were on there so it was quiet funny watching. As you can see Nick was having fun with his German cake that he requested.




Before this though Colton could not wait to dive into the cake so he literally did just that. With a little help and a quick shove as he was pretending to bite the cake-plop into the cake face first!





After cake it was tacos and a lot of fun at the dinner table with family and friends!

For the past three years for Yule all three of my sons have asked for a specific airsoft gun that they need, or so they say they do, to add to their collections. Last year Nick entered into the world of air soft guns but it was on a lower scale. This year I was looking at his partly composed Yule list and there it was another airsoft gun or should I say there were three of those bad boys listed.

Colton of course has added two to his list that he wants. Last years airsoft gun was an electric one as he did not like the air at all. But I noticed that this years guns are a mix of the two. Being 17 his tastes in air soft guns has become more refined and expensive. He and his friends all go out to the woods and have fun with them. This year since Nick is 12 he will be joining the gang.

At least it is a fairly easy gift to find and I know for sure it will be well received by the boys!