Memories new and old

Hayden has come to be a big helper in the kitchen. He loves to help Dave cook and me bake whenever he can. He likes to dump the ingredients into the mixer and turn the mixer on an off, sometimes repeatedly. This doesn’t always leave the cleanest kitchen, but we do tend to have a lot of fun in the process. Last week a family friend was having a birthday. When I told Hayden about their birthday his response to me was something about calling them up and telling them to make cupcakes and then we would go over for a visit. We made cupcakes instead and took them over.

All this cupcake making got me thinking about when I was a little girl and how I loved to help my mom bake in the kitchen. There is one story in particular that always stands out in my mind. I’m not sure how old I was, but I was little, this I know because I was sitting on the counter top in the corner under the kitchen cabinets and there wasn’t much room back there. I was sitting semi Indian style with my feet kind of out in front of me and my toes splayed and I had the hand mixer firmly grasped in both my hands, what could be more exciting. I was all a twitter because my mom was making something and I was going to help and I couldn’t wait. I kept asking her “Are you ready mom, are you ready?” Finally I could handle the anticipation no more and I flipped the switch on the hand mixer and the beaters began spinning fast and furious. Well they went fast and furious until the splayed big toe on my right foot got caught between them and stopped them dead in their whirlwind. I remember letting out a blood curdling scream, but not much of what happened after that, I’m pretty sure it was my mom who extracted the offended toe from the mixer and made it all better and I’m none the worse for wear. Lesson learned; keep your toes out of the hand mixer.

Damn Dog 2

I've recently added four new books to my collection. Not because they were exceptionally good books, or I really liked them, but because Daphne (the damn dog) decided they would be a good night time snack.

And they were all library books.

I have yet to figure out why it is my stuff she goes after. My books, my shoes, (okay it was Hayden's stocking, but that was just because it was the one that mattered the most), my hair clippies. When she gets scared at night it's my closet she tries to hide in. And when she is allowed on the bed, it is me she decides to snuggle up to. She's not even my dog.

The Sink

This picture was way to cute not to post. Turner loves taking a bath in the kitchen sink. Who are we kidding, he loves taking a bath anywhere. I like the kitchen sink because he is easier to contain.

Though he does make a break for it now and then.

Sips please!

Ever since Hayden was born, we have tried to be cautious about what he eats and drinks. Not over the top, but a good balance. When he was really little and we would be drinking a soft drink, usually Dr. Pepper, and he would want some, we would say to him something along the lines of "Do you want a sip?", and then let him take the tinniest of sips.

When he was about three years old I was setting the table for dinner and I asked him what he would like to drink for dinner. After giving me a serious look he responds with "Sips!" It was such a cute thing to say and so innocent. So now when ever he wants to have a soft drink other than Sprite, he always asks for "Sips" and he prefers Dr. Pepper, not that he gets more than a sip or two.

Sometimes he will even ask for "DP", I'm not sure he know what it means, but he know Dave and I sure do like it.

The Turner Werner

This is Turner. Isn't he cute? He is a little jumper.

He loves to jump.

This is Turner jumping! What a funny Turner!

Dave's New Hobby

Dave has been testing out the new hobby, I got him for Christmas. These are some pictures he took around the neighborhood after our snow storm the other day.

And of course a couple of the Daphne.

I think he likes his new camera!

Snow Angels

It snowed here last night. Not a lot by the standards I am used to, but a lot for the St. Louis area. Hayden was bound and determined to go out in the snow despite it being "fricken cold" his word's, thou I think he may have picked them up from me. So after dinner he and I headed out to the front yard, less chance of stepping in dog poop, and began to frolic in the snow. Luckily for me it was "fricken cold" and we only spent about ten minutes or so outside, but we did each manage to get in a snow angel. Hayden's is kind of hard to see, but it is the little one on the left, right next to the big one.

August 30, 2009 to January 2, 2010

From August 30th to January 4th, I took a position at work as the Acting Supervisory Special Agent for Group 5 in the St. Louis Field Office. Basically what this meant was I became the manager over several Special Agents and would guide and direct them in their case work. I would also deal with personnel issues and make sure that the working environment was conducive to productivity. Yah whatever!

Back in the beginning of 2009, my SSA (Supervisory Special Agent) came to me and asked me about joining the FLRP (Front-line Leadership Readiness Program). It is a program basically designed to help people advance into and through management. I agreed half heartedly because management wasn't what I was interested in doing right away but someday but for right now I loved being just a Special Agent and working my own cases. But I agreed and went to the conference. The conference was actually very good and I really enjoyed myself. I still wasn't completely sold on the idea of management, but decided to keep my options open. Sometime in June, while I was on maternity leave they decided to switch up the offices. In St. Louis there are two offices, one is downtown, were I have worked since February 2005 and the other is in Chesterfield which is where I started when I came to St. Louis in 2001. I along with another agent and the manager of the downtown group where all going to be sent to the Chesterfield office. I was excited. Not that the downtown office is bad, but I hated the commute. There also wasn't a lot around the office and parking was a pain (though it was free.) Downtown did have its good points it is close the the US Attorney's office and the cubicles are bigger (but no windows.)

Anyway I digress. Along with this switch up the old manager of the Chesterfield office took another position which left and opening for a new SSA. They asked another agent and myself to step into the position for 60 days each to cover until they could advertise the position and hire someone. This would also give me the opportunity to try out the management job and put in my required acting time for when I did decide to apply for a supervisory position. They also asked me to apply for the position when it came open, but I explained I wasn't real interested in an SSA position in St. Louis and with the potential for Dave getting into a PhD program somewhere we would be moving and I didn't think that would be fair to the IRS, I also wanted to try the position first to see if it was really something I would want to do. So they announced the job, and no one applied, no one across the whole United States wanted to come to St. Louis. This caused a problem as they only have 120 days covered. So they extended the two acting assignments from 60 days to 120 days each.

This allowed me to go back to work as an SA after I came back from maternity leave in early July. So I worked on my cases and tried to get back in the groove and come late August I moved back downtown and took up residency in the SSA's office. It was an amazing and eye opening 120 days.

I was amazed at how grown adults could act like such children. I was amazed at personal issued that were brought to my attention that should have just been handled by the employee personally. I was frustrated that the support staff didn't support the agents and everything asked of them had to be so delicately phrased as not to "disrespect" them it was ridiculous. Or they were so busy talking on the phone they didn't have time to do their jobs and when approached about the personal phone calls they act as if they have no idea what you are talking about.

I was amazed at my own knowledge and how I was able to direct the SA's in the group sometimes regarding issues I didn't think I knew anything about. I was amazed at how much I learned about being a better agent and what my manager really goes through on a daily basis for the agents. And I was amazed at how much I both loved and hated the position.

The position was announced again in December and one person applied. She got the job. The downtown group has lots of issues, and I wasn't the one to step in and fix them. I wish the new manager luck, she is a better people person than I am and I think she will handle the support staff much better than I did. I wish her luck and I hope the group will give her a fair chance (though I know at least one won't because his self esteem is to low and he can't get over his perceived injustices and he has personal issues with the new manager).

So all in all I was grateful for the experience. I wish I had been able to be the Acting SSA in a group I had not working in as an SA, but you do with what you have right. I did apply for the SSA position in Salt Lake City, UT when it came open. I didn't get the position and I'm okay with that. When the time is right the right position will become available. But for now I am glad to just be a Special Agent again and to worry only about myself and my cases.

My office as an SSA.

They even made me a name placard.

The up side of the position is there was a window (though it looked at the freeway and a train yard) and there was a door. Man will I miss that door.


On my last day a couple of the Special Agents took me out to lunch at Crown Candy. Love their BLT's.

Two of the SA's I'll miss the most. Cheryl and Shawn, they got sent to the downtown office when I got moved to the Chesterfield office. Good thing the offices aren't too far apart and we can still meet for lunch.

Oh cubicle, sweet cubicle. My cubicle in Chesterfield.

The Bathroom!

I wanted to post pictures of my new bathroom. This is the fan/light/heater my dad installed over Thanksgiving. And the ceiling he texturized for us. What an awesome dad. You can't even tell he cut a huge hole in the ceiling to install the fan.

This is the new vanity and floor. Aren't they pretty. Dave did this all by himself. He even hung my shelfing unit over the toilet. Can't forget the paint job. Dave picked out this paint color and painted.

Another view of the vanity and my new medicine cabinet that doesn't look like it came straight out of the 70's.

I already posted an overall picture of the shower in an earlier post, but this is more detail. This is the shower with the inset shelves I insisted I had to have. This my dad tiled while he was here in May when Turner was born.

The shower head comes straight down from the ceiling. I love it!! We still have to paint the ceiling hence the blue painters tape.

And the body sprayers I don't know how I ever lived without them.

So for the new year, I have a new bathroom. Now I just need a mirror! Hum, guess I better go shopping.