Saturday, December 27, 2008
Yum Yum for Addie's Tum Tum
Addison finally got her first taste of food, we'll baby rice cereal. Although my family tried desperately to sneak her little tastes of things and I almost had a heart attack when my sister Judie put cool whip on her lips we managed to follow the doctors rules and wait until she was 5 months. You can just imagine her delight as she got her first taste of something other than formula! Her eyes lit up, she got a big smile, and even a little giddy. This was Heaven for her. We all sat around her as a family and relished in the moment. She even learned quickly to open her mouth nice and big for her next bite. I have to be quick because if I am too slow for her liking she will lunge at the spoonful of cereal and wrap her little lips around it herself. She even got upset with me when I sat the bowl down to adjust the pillow behind me. The moment I picked it up and got a spoonful for her she immediately got excited and opened her mouth. Oh, just wait until next month when we get to introduce the good stuff!
Christmas Card Cross
I wanted to share with all of you how I displayed your Christmas cards that you sent to us this year. Although I wanted to get our cards out this year sadly only half of them made it out. So please don't write us off if you did not receive one from us this year! As you can see I loved receiving yours and when things are better next year I will be sure to return the favor (smile).
Christmas Blessings
It is through the kindness of others that we truly see Jesus love.
Barely a day has passed since Jason's lay off that we have not received a blessing from a family member, friend, Peyton's school, our Church, or even a perfect stranger. Words can not express our gratitude for these special people and the acts of love, compassion, and kindness bestowed upon us. It can simply be explained as Christ Love.
With the economy being as such Christmas was going to be small for the Corsetti family anyway, as I am sure it was such in many homes across the world. The lay off threw us for a tail spin though, emotionally and financially; but not spiritually. It is now more than ever that we appreciate all the blessings God have given to us. Jason and I have each other, we have our girls (tee hee, I said girls with an "s" meaning more than one!), we have wonderful friends and family, and we have Jesus on our side.
It is with great love through Christ that our friends and family helped in making this a memorable Christmas for our girls. Some gifts were given to us to wrap and put our names on and some were gifted to them from a friend or family member. I tried to take a picture of the girls with each of their gifts so that you (the giver) can see how happy your gift made our girls on Christmas. There were some gifts that were opened without the camera present and to those people I apologize, but I promise your gift is cherished too. While Jason and I know and are trying to instill in the girls that Christmas is not about receiving it is about giving and about the priceless most precious gift of all; the gift of Jesus who was born and became man so that he could die on the cross so that we may have eternal life with HIM. But it was in receiving this year that we saw Christ love in others, and that too is what Christmas is about.
Thank you and God bless you all!
Of course, they are kids and no Christmas would be complete without a gift from Santa! This year Peyton wanted an I-dog soft speaker in pink. I happen to know because I am a Mom and I have Santa's number that it took several months of looking and waiting (people trying to sell them on eBay for $50 when it is a $30 toy) but he persisted (even at 4:30am the day after Thanksgiving in line at Toys R Us to no avail) and finally found one lonely little one sitting on the bottom shelf of Target all by itself. He snatched it up and ran straight for the checkout line. That Santa is a smart shopper and found an amazing deal on a pink MP3 player for $9.99 too and tucked it in her I-dog with songs loaded on it already (he was thinking ahead and knows that she loves Hanna Montana, Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, HSM, Camp Rock etc.) Needless to say, Peyton was very happy!
Addie being just a little peanut did not have any specific request. Santa (in the form of a special Auntie & Cousin) got her a Galloping Fun Jumperoo. Her feet don't reach the ground but she knows how to make it move! It makes horsy noises and plays little ditties to go along with the theme.
There was a guest speaker at MOPS this year who gave us this awesome idea of how to gift the ever so boring but desperately needed socks. Poor Peyton needed new socks so bad that she actually asked for some...lol.
Don't forget the Stockings...
Barely a day has passed since Jason's lay off that we have not received a blessing from a family member, friend, Peyton's school, our Church, or even a perfect stranger. Words can not express our gratitude for these special people and the acts of love, compassion, and kindness bestowed upon us. It can simply be explained as Christ Love.
With the economy being as such Christmas was going to be small for the Corsetti family anyway, as I am sure it was such in many homes across the world. The lay off threw us for a tail spin though, emotionally and financially; but not spiritually. It is now more than ever that we appreciate all the blessings God have given to us. Jason and I have each other, we have our girls (tee hee, I said girls with an "s" meaning more than one!), we have wonderful friends and family, and we have Jesus on our side.
It is with great love through Christ that our friends and family helped in making this a memorable Christmas for our girls. Some gifts were given to us to wrap and put our names on and some were gifted to them from a friend or family member. I tried to take a picture of the girls with each of their gifts so that you (the giver) can see how happy your gift made our girls on Christmas. There were some gifts that were opened without the camera present and to those people I apologize, but I promise your gift is cherished too. While Jason and I know and are trying to instill in the girls that Christmas is not about receiving it is about giving and about the priceless most precious gift of all; the gift of Jesus who was born and became man so that he could die on the cross so that we may have eternal life with HIM. But it was in receiving this year that we saw Christ love in others, and that too is what Christmas is about.
Thank you and God bless you all!
Of course, they are kids and no Christmas would be complete without a gift from Santa! This year Peyton wanted an I-dog soft speaker in pink. I happen to know because I am a Mom and I have Santa's number that it took several months of looking and waiting (people trying to sell them on eBay for $50 when it is a $30 toy) but he persisted (even at 4:30am the day after Thanksgiving in line at Toys R Us to no avail) and finally found one lonely little one sitting on the bottom shelf of Target all by itself. He snatched it up and ran straight for the checkout line. That Santa is a smart shopper and found an amazing deal on a pink MP3 player for $9.99 too and tucked it in her I-dog with songs loaded on it already (he was thinking ahead and knows that she loves Hanna Montana, Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, HSM, Camp Rock etc.) Needless to say, Peyton was very happy!
Addie being just a little peanut did not have any specific request. Santa (in the form of a special Auntie & Cousin) got her a Galloping Fun Jumperoo. Her feet don't reach the ground but she knows how to make it move! It makes horsy noises and plays little ditties to go along with the theme.
There was a guest speaker at MOPS this year who gave us this awesome idea of how to gift the ever so boring but desperately needed socks. Poor Peyton needed new socks so bad that she actually asked for some...lol.
Don't forget the Stockings...
Christmas Eve Angel and Jammies
This Christmas Eve Peyton decided to be an Angel in the Children's Mass at our church. She did it when she was 3 years old but for the past few years we have done Christmas Eve at Nana's house and gone to her church so no Angel for Peyton. I love going to Nana's because she brings out the good china but due to distance we can't do both. Thanks to Grandma Ruth for sending us her Princess House dishes we were able to have a pretty table setting this year after all. OK, back to our Angel Peyton. She looked very sweet and Angelic as you can see from the picture.
I'm have a feeling this picture will come in handy one day when I may need to remind her and Allie (her friend in the picture) of how good they USED to be once. Naw, I'm sure she will grow up to be a good girl, just for one of those days when she is getting on my last nerve (wink).
During the mass Father asked what Christmas was about and Peyton raised her hand. My friend Christine leaned over and asked, "What is Peyton going to say?" I nervously chuckled and said I had no idea. When given the microphone she softly said, "It is about Jesus coming to us as our present". Awe, our hearts melted and as always we were so proud.
We had a lovely dinner and exchanged gifts with Nana Pat as it is our tradition. It is also our tradition to let the girls open their Christmas jammies so that they can wear them to bed that night. I searched for matching jammies everywhere from Gymboree, Children's Place, Old Navy, Crazy 8, JC Penny, Sears, Macy's, Carters, Osh Kosh, and beyond ever since the first pair of Christmas jammies were put out on the shelf. It literally took me 2 months to find something! I ended up getting Addies at Sears and Peyton's at Carters. Let me tell you, it is not easy trying to find something in a 6 months and big girls 8...but I did it. Pat myself on the back.
I'm have a feeling this picture will come in handy one day when I may need to remind her and Allie (her friend in the picture) of how good they USED to be once. Naw, I'm sure she will grow up to be a good girl, just for one of those days when she is getting on my last nerve (wink).
During the mass Father asked what Christmas was about and Peyton raised her hand. My friend Christine leaned over and asked, "What is Peyton going to say?" I nervously chuckled and said I had no idea. When given the microphone she softly said, "It is about Jesus coming to us as our present". Awe, our hearts melted and as always we were so proud.
We had a lovely dinner and exchanged gifts with Nana Pat as it is our tradition. It is also our tradition to let the girls open their Christmas jammies so that they can wear them to bed that night. I searched for matching jammies everywhere from Gymboree, Children's Place, Old Navy, Crazy 8, JC Penny, Sears, Macy's, Carters, Osh Kosh, and beyond ever since the first pair of Christmas jammies were put out on the shelf. It literally took me 2 months to find something! I ended up getting Addies at Sears and Peyton's at Carters. Let me tell you, it is not easy trying to find something in a 6 months and big girls 8...but I did it. Pat myself on the back.
Does hard work, dedication, and years of service mean anything anymore?
I have debated about blogging on this subject but I find that writing helps me to get things off my chest so that I can feel some sort of relief.
DISCLAIMER: THESE ARE MY (SHEA'S) VIEWS. I DO NOT WORK FOR NOR HAVE EVER SIGNED ANYTHING SAYING THAT I (SHEA) CAN NOT SPEAK NEGATIVE ABOUT THE COMPANY ALTHOUGH FOR MY HUSBANDS SAKE I WILL NOT MENTION THEIR NAME(S). AGAIN THESE ARE STRICTLY MY VIEWS AND I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEM. I AM SPEAKING MY TRUTH AND IF ANYONE TAKES ISSUE WITH IT YOU CAN CONTACT ME DIRECTLY.
OK, so now you are wondering what the heck is going on? Some of you may already know and some of you will be finding this out as you read this...Jas got "laid off" December 10th. Why they call it laid off I'll never know, they are not planning to ask him back. Almost 12 years he worked for them starting at the bottom (or close to it) and diligently working his way up to Marketing Director. I miss the days when it was a "Mom & Pop shop" and was owned by a local Riverside gentleman who knew how to treat his employees! Although, I will say since the purchase of the company by a bigger company (who currently own it) Jas has had much more success in moving up the ladder quicker (larger company/more funds/more room for growth).
The problem is quite frankly that they just don't care about their employees. I have seen them dismiss so many good people without batting an eye. By the grace of God most of these people have moved on to bigger and better things. I have no doubt in my mind and full faith in the Lord that things will work out for us too. It's just that my heart breaks for my husband who has always given them 110%. Although he was salary and scheduled 7am to 4pm he was there by 6:30am (at the latest) and worked until 5pm everyday. He went out of town on trade shows across the US (luckily less frequently once Peyton was born). He worked weekends doing inventory every quarter (sat. & sun) although he was not paid anything extra for it. He wore many hats for the company, worked hard, received excellent reviews, and never complained. He never even took vacation hours, only when each of our babies were born. I complained about that, his not taking a vacation. Turns out it was a good thing that he did not listen to me because those ungrateful punks only severanced him 5 weeks!!! He had 230vacation hours that they had to cash out though. This is what will pay the mortgage for the next couple months.
They sent a newbie in to give him the news. Jas was not expecting it at all; he was told that it had nothing to do with his job performance but the company had to cut some salaries and unfortunately he was not the only one. Nobody else in CA., we'll there isn't really anyone left in CA except the people who work in the warehouse in production...which anyone with half a brain knows will soon be moving too. Last April and May the company moved the customer service and art departments out to MO. leaving Jas, and production here in CA. Duh, it is only a matter of time before they move the rest of the company out there, rent is too high in CA. Now you might be thinking if we knew all this why was it such a surprise that Jas lost his job? We'll here's why...He has always had a heads up about the future of the company and we were very aware that they were moving. They actually job offered him to move with the company a couple years back and he declined the offer. They discussed a few other options but no decision was ever made. At one point one of his bosses who has since left the company told him that if he helped transition over they would severance him out 6 months. Jas was under the impression that his job was secure until the move, where at that time he would have a good severance and plenty of time to find another job.
I on the other hand just didn't trust it. Not that I didn't trust his old boss, nice guy; I did not trust the higher ups who don't bother to even know their employees. I suggested Jas get his resume' together and start looking. He did get his resume' together but had not started looking...he really thought that all his hard work and dedication would pay off and they would treat him well. WRONG! I knew something was up as soon as his old boss left and the newbie came in and fired the warehouse manager then asked Jas and two of his co-workers to take over the position. While his two co-workers received some compensation for this Jas did not. He was told he just received a raise and they were not expecting him to ask for another one. Uh...you did get that right? They fired the warehouse manager...asked these 3 guys to take over the position...gave 2 of them compensation for it...Jas got nothing, and they were "surprised" that he would ask! Hello! He performs a certain job (many actually) for the company...he receives an excellent annual review (he always does)and receives a raise...a few months later he is asked to help take on ANOTHER management position without compensation while the other 2 who share the job get compensation. Tell me I am not the only one who see the problem here.
So here we are. 12 years of service, hard work, dedication, perseverance, and a passion for what he did; and they come in and say...sorry buddy, here's a months worth of pay in the toughest economy since the Great Depression...see ya. That's the problem right there, for me anyway. He busted his butt for them and these (insert bad word here) don't care. I understand times are tough and companies have to do what they have to do. My point is that the people who did this don't even know Jas, what kind of person he is, and how hard he worked. All they saw was a salary that needed to be cut. Shame on them!
My prayer for this company is that they can find peace with what they did.
My prayer for my husband is that he finds peace with this as well (and myself too). I pray that his reward is much greater that what he could have ever achieved with them. I pray that his hard work, knowledge, and dedication find him a position that he can be happy in. I trust in God that things will be just fine. And I give thanks to HIM for the blessings in our lives.
Amen
DISCLAIMER: THESE ARE MY (SHEA'S) VIEWS. I DO NOT WORK FOR NOR HAVE EVER SIGNED ANYTHING SAYING THAT I (SHEA) CAN NOT SPEAK NEGATIVE ABOUT THE COMPANY ALTHOUGH FOR MY HUSBANDS SAKE I WILL NOT MENTION THEIR NAME(S). AGAIN THESE ARE STRICTLY MY VIEWS AND I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEM. I AM SPEAKING MY TRUTH AND IF ANYONE TAKES ISSUE WITH IT YOU CAN CONTACT ME DIRECTLY.
OK, so now you are wondering what the heck is going on? Some of you may already know and some of you will be finding this out as you read this...Jas got "laid off" December 10th. Why they call it laid off I'll never know, they are not planning to ask him back. Almost 12 years he worked for them starting at the bottom (or close to it) and diligently working his way up to Marketing Director. I miss the days when it was a "Mom & Pop shop" and was owned by a local Riverside gentleman who knew how to treat his employees! Although, I will say since the purchase of the company by a bigger company (who currently own it) Jas has had much more success in moving up the ladder quicker (larger company/more funds/more room for growth).
The problem is quite frankly that they just don't care about their employees. I have seen them dismiss so many good people without batting an eye. By the grace of God most of these people have moved on to bigger and better things. I have no doubt in my mind and full faith in the Lord that things will work out for us too. It's just that my heart breaks for my husband who has always given them 110%. Although he was salary and scheduled 7am to 4pm he was there by 6:30am (at the latest) and worked until 5pm everyday. He went out of town on trade shows across the US (luckily less frequently once Peyton was born). He worked weekends doing inventory every quarter (sat. & sun) although he was not paid anything extra for it. He wore many hats for the company, worked hard, received excellent reviews, and never complained. He never even took vacation hours, only when each of our babies were born. I complained about that, his not taking a vacation. Turns out it was a good thing that he did not listen to me because those ungrateful punks only severanced him 5 weeks!!! He had 230vacation hours that they had to cash out though. This is what will pay the mortgage for the next couple months.
They sent a newbie in to give him the news. Jas was not expecting it at all; he was told that it had nothing to do with his job performance but the company had to cut some salaries and unfortunately he was not the only one. Nobody else in CA., we'll there isn't really anyone left in CA except the people who work in the warehouse in production...which anyone with half a brain knows will soon be moving too. Last April and May the company moved the customer service and art departments out to MO. leaving Jas, and production here in CA. Duh, it is only a matter of time before they move the rest of the company out there, rent is too high in CA. Now you might be thinking if we knew all this why was it such a surprise that Jas lost his job? We'll here's why...He has always had a heads up about the future of the company and we were very aware that they were moving. They actually job offered him to move with the company a couple years back and he declined the offer. They discussed a few other options but no decision was ever made. At one point one of his bosses who has since left the company told him that if he helped transition over they would severance him out 6 months. Jas was under the impression that his job was secure until the move, where at that time he would have a good severance and plenty of time to find another job.
I on the other hand just didn't trust it. Not that I didn't trust his old boss, nice guy; I did not trust the higher ups who don't bother to even know their employees. I suggested Jas get his resume' together and start looking. He did get his resume' together but had not started looking...he really thought that all his hard work and dedication would pay off and they would treat him well. WRONG! I knew something was up as soon as his old boss left and the newbie came in and fired the warehouse manager then asked Jas and two of his co-workers to take over the position. While his two co-workers received some compensation for this Jas did not. He was told he just received a raise and they were not expecting him to ask for another one. Uh...you did get that right? They fired the warehouse manager...asked these 3 guys to take over the position...gave 2 of them compensation for it...Jas got nothing, and they were "surprised" that he would ask! Hello! He performs a certain job (many actually) for the company...he receives an excellent annual review (he always does)and receives a raise...a few months later he is asked to help take on ANOTHER management position without compensation while the other 2 who share the job get compensation. Tell me I am not the only one who see the problem here.
So here we are. 12 years of service, hard work, dedication, perseverance, and a passion for what he did; and they come in and say...sorry buddy, here's a months worth of pay in the toughest economy since the Great Depression...see ya. That's the problem right there, for me anyway. He busted his butt for them and these (insert bad word here) don't care. I understand times are tough and companies have to do what they have to do. My point is that the people who did this don't even know Jas, what kind of person he is, and how hard he worked. All they saw was a salary that needed to be cut. Shame on them!
My prayer for this company is that they can find peace with what they did.
My prayer for my husband is that he finds peace with this as well (and myself too). I pray that his reward is much greater that what he could have ever achieved with them. I pray that his hard work, knowledge, and dedication find him a position that he can be happy in. I trust in God that things will be just fine. And I give thanks to HIM for the blessings in our lives.
Amen
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
The Christmas cards are here!
OK, so if you have been following my blog you'll remember from a very recent post that I tried to emulate the photo's taken professionally for our Christmas cards and failed miserably. We'll here is the real deal. Boy what a difference a studio, the right lighting, a really good camera, and a professional make...LOL.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Can you say Blackmail!
Yeah Baby! I can't wait till she brings her first boyfriend home and we get to pull this one out...tee hee.
Addies New Toy
Christmas came a little early for Addison this year. I purchased this really cool mini mobile for her and it arrived yesterday. I HAD to put batteries in and make sure it worked properly...I also wanted to see if she showed interest in it. It plays music and spins around just like a regular mobile you would put in a crib except it is small enough for the carseat or stroller! The little arms on it flip, on one side there are pictures and the other side are plush bugs that dangle. She LOVES it!!! So much so that Jason and I did not have the heart to take it off of her carseat to wrap for Christmas...so...Merry Christmas Addie.
here's the link to the mobile http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3579100
here's the link to the mobile http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3579100
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