Wednesday Ramblings

Wednesday Ramblings & Birthday Prep

Good morning, friends!

It’s 6:35 a.m., and I’m on my way to work. I don’t have to be there until 7:00, but I always leave a little early—because life loves a surprise, and I do not. Plus, I like having those few quiet minutes to get my system up and running and head to the break room to fill up my water container before the phones start ringing. A prepared girl is a peaceful girl.

Last night I finished The Apartment Sitter by Paige Brooks and oh my goodness… it was so good. The kind of book that makes you stay up later than you meant to and then think about it while brushing your teeth. I already know I’ll be looking into more of her books.

Now that we’re smack in the middle of the week, I’ve shifted into party-planning mode. Mr. C’s birthday cookout is this Sunday, and you know I love a good celebration. I’ve been making my list, checking it twice, and trying to get everything organized so the day can just be fun instead of frantic.

We’re keeping it classic cookout style:

🛒 Birthday Cookout Grocery List

Meats:

• Steaks
• Smoked sausage
• Hot links
• Hamburgers
• Hot dogs

Sides:

• Baked beans
• Potato salad

Extras I’m leaning toward making:

• Jalapeño poppers
• Bacon-wrapped little smokies

And of course, I’m ordering him a cupcake cake from Walmart because birthdays require cake. Period.

On top of party prep, I’m planning to tackle my taxes this weekend. I’ve got everything gathered—I just need to sit down and actually do it. I’m thinking Sunday  will be the day. Say a little prayer for my patience.

Something else on my heart this morning is my son, Aaron. He’s going through a hard patch, and as a mama, that helpless feeling is heavy. You want to fix it. You want to say the magic words that make it click. But sometimes they just have to walk through it themselves. I’m praying he finds his way out of his own head and into some peace soon. If you’re the praying type, we’ll take all the good thoughts.

In happier planning news, I’ve got a suitcase open for New York City. It’s too early to fully pack since I’m still wearing half the clothes I want to take, but I can start organizing. Makeup, duplicate chargers (because I never take my good ones from the house!), and deciding what I can fit into a carry-on and backpack. I’m determined to leave room for souvenirs.

Tomorrow our vice president, Stephanie, and other important folks will be at work. That means no scrolling, no sneaking in a few pages on my iPad between calls. Maybe that’s exactly what I need to focus in and hit my daily goal of 12 saves. Sometimes a little supervision is the push we didn’t know we needed.

And yes, there are days I wish I were independently wealthy and didn’t have to clock in anywhere. But since I’m not, I’ll keep showing up and doing my best. Who knows—maybe one day I’ll stumble into the perfect little side hustle. For now, I’ll just keep building what I can, one blog post at a time.

Today my sweet hubby is driving me to work, which I love. It gives me time to think, to type, and to share this little slice of my Wednesday with you.

Thanks for stopping by, friends. I hope your Wednesday is productive and full of love.

The Grigsby Christmas Celebration

                                                                                   

Blake, Jessica and Hattie

Hattie and Brooks

Hattie and Max

Hattie’s gifts

Wesley and Michelle

                                          Christmas With My Grandbabies 🎄

Today was one of those days that fills your heart clear to the brim.

Around 2:00 this afternoon, Blake and Jessica Brooks came over with sweet little Hattie, along with Michelle, Wesley, Angel, Clifford, and Max. Any day I get to spend time with my grandchildren is a good day, and today was extra special.

Before everyone arrived, I took some time to get all the gifts sorted into little piles so I’d know exactly which presents belonged to which grandbaby. Luther and I were up early this morning—about 5:30 a.m.—doing some extra cleaning around the house. We straightened up the bathroom and gave the dining room and kitchen a good cleaning.

Now, I’m not really sure why we put so much effort into extra cleaning when we knew the house was about to be filled with noise, laughter, wrapping paper, and food from one end to the other. But at least it was nice and clean when everyone walked in—and that counts for something!

Around noon, Luther and I decided on our pizza order, and I ran to the store to grab drinks. We went with Pizza Hut, ordering five large pizzas along with some cheese sticks. Easy, simple, and perfect for a house full of kids.

It was so nice watching the kids play together, spending time with their cousins, and just enjoying being at Nana and Pawpaw’s house. I truly believe everyone was happy with their gifts, but even more than that, I was grateful that Michelle brought the kids over so we could all be together.

I really wish I could spend more time with Michelle and the kids, but life has a way of getting busy and pulling us in different directions. Because of that, every single minute I get with Clifford, Max, Wesley, and Angel is something I treasure deeply. I am so grateful and so blessed to have them.

One of my biggest gifts of all is something I’m already looking forward to—I’ll be going to New York City with Blake, Jessica, and Logan in April 2026, and I am beyond excited! Logan, their oldest, wasn’t able to come today since he was spending Christmas with his other grandparents, but I know we’ll have plenty of memories to make soon.

Christmas Day!

 

                                                           Christmas Day!

I’m so excited—it’s Christmas morning! I ended up getting up around 4:30 a.m., which honestly wasn’t part of the plan at all. But once I woke up, my mind was already racing with Christmas excitement. I decided to go ahead and move my presents to where I sit and move Luther’s presents to where he sits. I also made sure our stockings—already stuffed and ready—were placed right on top of our gift piles.

Even though I hadn’t planned on being up that early, I really wanted everything to be just right when we sat down to open gifts. There’s just something about having it all perfectly arranged that makes Christmas morning feel extra special.

Well, before I knew it, Mr. C came walking out of the bedroom and into the living room and asked, “Is it time for Christmas?” I couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Well… not yet—but we’re getting close!” So we got dressed, settled into the living room, watched a little TV, and then finally decided it was officially time to open presents.

Mr. C was spoiled this year. He got a bottle of Stetson cologne, a hoodie, a shirt, two pairs of sweat bottoms, his John Deere mower deck repair kit, a pair of binoculars, sweet treats, and even a few kitchen gadgets. He was smiling the whole time, which always makes my heart happy.

And let me tell you—he did so good shopping for me. He surprised me with a new printer for the computer, three shirts, brown shoes, brown pants, brown earrings, and a brown purse (clearly he knows my style). He also gave me Elizabeth Taylor Sparkling White Diamonds perfume and Elizabeth Taylor Passion perfume, plus the sweetest necklace—a heart with my initial K on it. My stocking was filled with fun little goodies too.

We both agreed we were very happy with what we gave each other. I always feel so blessed, no matter the gifts, because it’s truly the thought and love behind them that matter most.

After gifts, we made breakfast together and just enjoyed the slow, quiet start to Christmas Day. Those calm mornings are becoming more and more precious to me.

Around 7:30-ish, Brody texted and asked if we were coming over to see what Santa brought the kids. Of course, we headed right over. The boys were beyond excited. Lane absolutely loved his trampoline from Santa, and Landon was completely into the dragons he received. Sophie, being the baby, was still asleep—but I already know she’s going to love her Santa toys just as much.

After spending a couple of hours there, we headed back home, watched a Christmas movie, and caught up on the TV series we watch regularly. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Overall, Christmas Day was relaxing, quiet, and full of love. It really reminded me that home is where your heart is. I am so incredibly blessed to have Luther in my life—he truly completes me.

Now it’s time to mentally prepare for going back to work tomorrow. I already know it’s going to be crazy busy since we were closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. You’d think I’d be used to the nonstop ringing phones after a holiday by now—but here we go! Hopefully, I’ll get some saves!

I hope each and every one of you had a blessed and wonderful Christmas. Thank you so much for reading my blog. I truly appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to spend a few moments here with me.