just an ordinary thursday

Funny thing. Whenever I have been jealous or envious of somebody elses life it always seems that somehow I find out things really aren't what they seem. I used to feel bad for people in my life because I thought that God would use them to teach me a lesson. What I learned is that nobody has a perfect life. It has nothing to do with me at all. Other times, I think that my thoughts lead up to strange things happening. I know that is not true. I know I don't have THAT much power. I have no luck with those lottery tickets. Still....

This morning I was listening to the radio show that I have on every morning. A lady called in and she was crying. She had went to work this morning to find out that she no longer had a job. She had perfect attendance. Great performance reviews. They had to let 10 people go and she was one of them. I was so thankful that wasn't me. My job is perfectly safe. I stopped for a cup of coffee on the way to work. There was a couple having rolls and coffee in the corner. It made me a little jealous because 1. I can't eat a roll and 2. I have to work during the week.

I was busy at work this morning catching up from my sick day yesterday. I had talked to Annie to switch my Friday trip in a few weeks to a Saturday because I have already used up 3 vacation days. She already had plans so I made a note to turn in for my fourth vacation day this year.

Around lunchtime my boss came to talk to me. He didn't sit like he does when it is something serious. He just stood in the door way like he always does. He informed me that starting next week I will be working 4 days a week instead of 5. I would normally be jumping up and down but he meant at a four day work week paycheck. He is hopeful it is temporary. They are making lots of financial changes. I happen to be one of them. A change...blahblahblah.... He said I was still valuable ....blahblahblah.....things are slow....blahblahblah....

I could go on and on about where the lost wages are allocated in our budget. I could go on and on about how we just closed last week on a 20 year mortgage. I could go on and on about having a daughter still in college. I will just shut up and spare you all the blood and gore of it. However, I will share some happy thoughts with you.

• When I told Abe he WAS jumping up and down. I have no idea why because the kid leaves for school and I am home and when he comes home from school I am here. His excitement made my heart flip flop, though.
• Liz thought it was fabulous!
• Annie is off on Friday's. I can spend more time in Manhattan with her or when she is home I can spend the day with her here.
• My parents are both off on Friday's. Tomorrow they are going to Dallas for the weekend. If it was next week - I'd go along.
• Randy told me to enjoy it. Do whatever I wanted on Friday's. Just don't spend any money.
• Sarah said there is coffee sometimes on Friday's. I can go! CHILDLESS NO LESS!
• I can save all those vacation days I was going to turn in for when Abe doesn't have school.
• I have NEVER been home while my kids were at school. Unless I was sick.
• My boss knew I would prefer Friday's off instead of Mondays. He was right.
• I still have a job for 24 hours a week. With full benefits.
• I have the option to keep my hours when things turn around at work.
• My boss thinks I will never work Friday's again.
• Maybe this is a blessing in disguise? I won't go that far!

sick day

I have felt this cold coming on for a couple of days now. This morning the thought of going out and sitting behind my desk for six hours was more than I could take. After Abe left for school I called in sick and didn't get out of bed until 11:15 a.m. Do I feel better? No. Not really.

My dilemma is that whenever I miss work for a day that isn't planned in advance I feel horrible. I feel like I haven't called in sick for years and now I've done it twice in the past couple of months.

Of course - I will always feel like I did something to make myself sick. It's all my fault. That is how people like me feel. I had to use the pen at Dillon's when I couldn't find mine. (I couldn't use my debit card because it has been cancelled and they are sending me a new one. Something about my number had been compromised at a processing center.) Last Friday I let a co-worker use my pen to sign something when he obviously had a horrible cold. Gross!

So here I sit. Getting ready to crawl back in bed again. Wondering why I just didn't hauled my rear to work this morning.

I like CLEAN

Do you remember this? Ever since I got that stupid Kitchenaid dishwasher I have been pre-washing and then re-washing when the dishwasher is finished. Is it too much to ask for clean dishes? No coffee stains? No stuck on food to my drinking glasses? Plates that are sparking clean?

We have had every part imaginable replaced (warranty - thank goodness!) and now I want a new dishwasher. We have went round and round with the small hometown appliance store we purchased this from. I only purchased Kitchenaid because they had the refrigerator that would fit into my teeny tiny built in spot. So much for matching appliances. I don't ever want another Kitchenaid again. If Randy can't talk small hometown appliance store into a complete replacement tomorrow, what ever will I do? We (especially Randy) work so hard and when our purchases are lemons I get so MAD!

Is nothing built to last anymore? Is nothing built to work in the first place?

at recess he'll go get hisself a deer or a turkey or maybe a pheasant

Plan B?

In Real Simple magazine they have a section for different uses for every day items. Do you happen to have an extra pair of hearing protectors laying around? We did. We had been racking our brain for years as to what to do with those things during off-hunting season. Now we know!

Abe is going to wear these while he is working on his papers at school. You know - to block out the sound of his classmates. The ones who talk to themselves or count out loud on their fingers. Oh! That IS my child who does that! I guess they will block out whatever other noises may distract an eight year old boy sitting in his third grade class who can't concentrate. At first, I thought he was totally kidding and then I found out that kids actually do wear these!

Had these been around when I was in third grade - I may be able to do math myself today.

Loop Hole

If there is one thing I can do - it is parent a third grader. I've been down this road before. I've had two 8 year olds before the one I have now and I have been around the block a few times. Third grade is a piece of cake.

Last week it occurred to me that Abe had been bringing home way more homework than he had before Christmas. Mostly math. So I asked him why he had math homework in 2009 and not so much in 2008. What changed? He told me went to the bathroom during math and didn't have enough time to finish his work sheet and therefore had to finish it at home.

The next day he had math homework. Again, I asked him why he was bringing home math sheets and he said he didn't have time in class to finish it. I knew he understood it because he was getting 100% on his tests. Did he go the bathroom again? He couldn't remember. hmm.....

I called out the big guns - I called his teacher. This was traumatic for him. I'm not sure why but he was not so happy with me.

Mrs. H says that Abe has been having trouble focusing since the Christmas break. In addition he wants to write everything out in cursive. So 10 problems of writing 2,093 out in word form takes the little guys f o r e v e r because each letter has to be perfect and if it's not he erases and starts over. (OH NO! Mr. Bill! Not the eraser!) Then there is a tear in the paper.....

We decided that we would work on the issue at home. We told Abe if he could go five nights without homework their would be a treat. An I-pod touch? he asked. Actually, a blizzard from DQ.

I, knowing the perfectionist that he is and me being the perfectionist that I am, did not want to compound any more stress on the little guy. It did not have to be five nights in a row and, of course, regular homework did not count. Only the work that there had been plenty of time in class to finish was a part of the deal.

Several evenings passed. No homework. By Friday I commented on what a good job he had been doing getting his work all done at school. He had been finishing at school, right?

He spilled the beans. He hadn't gotten his work FINISHED at school - he just hadn't brought it home. Just like our deal.

He didn't bring home any math sheets because the unfinished math sheets were at school. IN HIS DESK!

PLAN B!!!!!

typical

Our house is over 100 years old and it has been a love-hate relationship since the beginning of time. I feel as if I am in some sort of sick abusive relationship I just can't let go of. I love my house. I hate my house. I love my house so much I will never ever leave it. I would give everything I own away to move into a new house.... Wait! I love my house, again.

One of the things I hate is how cold and drafty it is. It doesn't keep us warm like other houses do. That is about to change! Yesterday, we had lots and lots and then some more insulation blown in. Apparently I am not smart enough to put two and two together. I did not realize that all that the wind I felt blowing INSIDE my house was the result of cracks from the outside. I was totally unaware that when they blew lots and lots and then some more insulation from the outside it would penetrate those little cracks and leave insulation ALL OVER THE INSIDE OF MY HOUSE! That is the price I pay for modern conveniences like warmth?? I swear, we cannot take on a project at our house without it being messy, dirty and very expensive.

Lovely. Just beautiful.

in my little home-town Wal-Mart.

Lot's of stuff happens here.

First, it's a very social experience. You see people you never ever see. You get to catch up on what's been going on in their life. THEN they want to know what has been going on in MY life. Believe me - not enough time for that. This is really bad if you are in a hurry or an introvert (like me) because there is no such thing as a quick trip to Wal-Mart. It is even painfully worse when Randy is along. He can spend hours in their just visiting. Just talkin'. Just catching up with every. single. person. we. see. I am not kidding. You think I am? umm.... I am not.

Second, you can possibly probably buy way more items than are on your list. You go in for a gallon of milk and you come out with a new flat screen. Or you may just pop in for a dozen eggs and come out with an I-Phone. Any way you look at it - it's very difficult to just run in and out and not spend a ton of cash.

Since doing the grocery game we hardly ever go to Wal-Mart. If we do it is for something specific so I don't get the chance to just cruise the isles anymore.

Before Christmas I looked high and low in Wichita for a Moppine and could not find one anywhere. Of course, I didn't know what it was called but I had seen Rachael use one. Who knew? In my short walk from the humidifier isle to the birthday card isle I was amazed to see a display of Rachael Ray Moppines!

Don't know what a Moppine is? Click here. I'm sure you will want one, too!

blah blah blah

Not sure what I've been doing all week but I can tell you what I haven't been doing.

I haven't cooked since Tuesday. I haven't done laundry or gone through the stack of mail on my kitchen island. Our beds aren't made, either. Yesterday, Abe and I took a nap. He slept for 3 hours (and was still in bed for the night before 8:45) and I slept for 2 hours. My accounting II class started last night and it kicked my butt. I don't care much about par stock or treasured stock or preferred or even common stock. I still need to find healthy snack donations for Abe's classroom for Wellness Wednesday's and 6 dozen cinnamon rolls for the chili dinner on Thursday. I have coupons running out of my ears that need cut and filed. My house is freezing cold. Randy has been working until 7:00.

All I want to do is go to the theater and see a movie with a big bucket of popcorn and coke. Wanna go?

Peaches and Cream

When Abby was home we were watching old home videos. We realized that from the time Annie was born, Abby called her "sister" (and still does) and as soon as Annie was big enough - those two sisters have shared a bed. Which reminded Abby of peaches and cream. When we would tuck the girls in - our code word was peaches and cream. That meant that when Annie was sound asleep Abby was allowed to sneak out and have popcorn and coke with Randy and I. I was shocked to find out that after 18 years Annie had no idea this ever occurred. She remembers us saying peaches and cream when we tucked her in but she thought it was just something cute we said along with "Good night - sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite. Peaches and cream!"

Honestly, you would have thought I had just told her that there was no tooth fairy. Her childhood memories have been tainted forever.

GWL 2009

This is our second annual trip to go to Great Wolf Lodge.

Some highlights from the weekend:

• 9 adults and 9 kids
• If my dad doesn't have any one to ride down the slide with he WILL go all by himself
• If you eat at T-Rex nobody will notice how loud our big brood of kids is
• The prize you want will always be 10 more tickets than you have
• The adults can be found in the hot tub. The kids can't be found
• Magic Quest aka Abe having a melt down
• Arcade aka Abe having a melt down
• Decaf coffee in our room at 10:30 pm
• Atleast 1 kid fell out of his bed (Henry!)
• Atleast one adult hit his head getting into the water slide (Randy!)

Caramel Mocha

Since I will have missed my standing Saturday morning coffee date two weeks running, we decided to hit the coffee shop yesterday afternoon. Afternoon coffee talk and Saturday morning coffee talk - not the same. Isn't that strange? Next week - back to my same old same old. Can't wait! (that is a pic of my actual mocha from 3:30 yesterday. Yes, it was delish and very pretty, too!)

I won't be giving the sermon on Sunday

Since we moved four years ago I have had a basement storage room full of stuff. Oh, we donated our fair share to the thrift store when we moved in. But still....I had Rubbermaid's full of stuff I just couldn't seem to part with. I had high hopes of having a huge garage sale or making a small fortune on E-bay. Needless to say I haven't gotten around to either.

We've been slowly organizing and purging and I have felt very good about our progress. However, there was still the issue of all those Longaberger baskets and all those Rescue Heroes. I tried advertising them both on Swap Shop a couple of times but didn't have any calls. Just my luck a lady called the radio LOOKING for Longaberger baskets! I dug out my big box and my big Rubbermaid (OK - Randy dug them all out) and I matched liners, lids, tie-ons, protectors with their baskets. I felt like it was now or never. Four years in the storage room - it's time to move those things. The buyer came. She picked several. More than several, actually. I knew my prices were ridiculous but I have checked e-bay and they just aren't hot sellers right now. I looked at her stack and I looked at the remaining baskets and I told her she could buy all of them for one price. That's right. I shot her an offer she couldn't refuse (and one I shouldn't have made) She left with every last basket that I had dug out. She got a bargain and I felt used and abused. WHAT WAS I THINKING? You know me - I can't buy (or apparently sell) anything without analyzing. over analyzing. reanalyzing. Don't feel too sorry for me because I have many baskets left. But THOSE are gone and I am second guessing my decision. Am I greedy? I guess so. I don't mean to be but times are tough for my family, too. Our expenses have gone up and Randy hasn't had a raise in over 5 years. I should have asked more money. What go into me?

I called Swap Shop this morning (for the third time) in an attempt to get rid of Abe's Rescue Heroes. Got a call. She was coming with her three year old this evening. Our little second hand basement boutique was a busy place today. Abe and Randy and I had all of them laid out with their backpacks. He went through and picked out his favorite of the favorite and we stuck them back in the closet. (Actually, we stuck half of them back in the closet). I had told her a ridiculously low price for the entire lot of toys. They took all of them we had laid out. Don't feel sorry for him. He has lots left. I should have asked a little more. They were like brand new. Am I greedy? I guess so but times are tough for my family, too. Our expenses have gone up and Randy hasn't had a raise in over 5 years. I should have asked more money for those things. What was I thinking?

Tonight, I was tucking Abe in and I asked him if he was OK with selling some of his old stuff. He said I could have sold that landing pad for AT LEAST TWENTY FIVE DOLLARS. Hmmm...... I replied that I thought it was nice to see a three year old boy so excited to land his new airplane on that landing pad and those toys were just sitting in our basement anyways. He said that it WAS fun to see how excited that little guy was. I told him he had lots of good years and fun memories of those toys and now it was time to move on. I told him it's good to clean out. To lessen our burden of material possessions.

I had better start practicing what I preach, don't you think?

January 7 - This Day In History

I hate when it is 20 minutes till 8:00 and Abe is getting ready to head out to walk to school and he doesn't have a coat. This morning his coat (along with ski mask, stocking cap, gloves ) is MIA.

Remember last January 7? Of course you don't so you can click here to read all about it.