They Grow Up So Fast

On Wednesday morning my darling oldest was complaining. I know, it's such a shock. He's 12, he's moody, his voice has changed, he's a smidge over 5'10". He's a little boy living in a man's body. Back to his complaining....he said the lady who cut his hair (mind you this appointment was a month ago) had cut it badly because some kids at school (remember how ruthless middle school can be) were making fun of him, saying his sideburns (or the hair left longer to look like real sideburns) were longer on one side than on the other. So I looked at his hair - the hair is fine, but he has wiskers - long wiskers on his cheeks and under his chin, some of them turning dark brown. I say nothing to the boy but that night consult with Darling Husband. I MUST be over reacting, he's ONLY 12!!!! Darling Husband looks him over and confirms my suspisions - he does indeed need to shave. Here is one point where I am sure my dad is glad I re-married or the teaching to shave job would fall to him. We still don't say anything to Steve. We don't want him to worry about it until we are ready for him. Last night, Mike took the boy to the store to get him a razor and any other supplies he would need (did you know they make shaving cream for teens with pimple wash in it? Great idea). Steve was a little embarrassed. Then it was up to our bathroom, Mike began by just trying to explain what to do, but soon found it was easier to shave with him and show him what he needed to do. Of course, Mike's wiskers are short and coarse and Steve's were long and wispy. Mike only had him shave the areas we noticed were long, saving his chin and mustache area for when he really needs to do that. Mike told me this is a big milestone for a young man - I have to begin to think of my baby that way. We made sure that we did this before Saturday - a day of birthday parties ( my sister's husband and my husband's sister both had a birthday this week - 26th and 25th respectively) and we celebrate with a party for each on Saturday- so he can share his news with the families. Can't I stop time please?????????????? I'm not ready for this.

I'm A Big Girl Now

Sometimes I feel like a child. We have been improving our banking situation - my name is now on the accounts. I know where all the money is. But when Mike gave me the the rental checkbook, the checks are only in his name. Now the thrifty side of me just won't allow me to throw away a whole book of checks plus the partial, so every time I need to write a check out of that account I have to have Mike come sign it. I feel like I am asking my dad for money. He laughs at me and tells me to just order the new checks - today I ordered them. We are going to be writing lots of checks out of this account as soon as we get the insurance money from the vandalism and start replacing and fixing things. It shouldn't take long to use these up.

We meet with the insurance man Wednesday to have him look at the vandalism. Everyone send positive thoughts our way so that we really get enough money to put things back to the way they were. We will already be out the deductable, I don't want to be short more money than that. I have talked Mike into paying a contractor to fix the house since we really don't have time to do it. If we get shorted money, I see lots of long days in our future doing it ourselves afterall.

Plowing

Yesterday's project made me very happy. Our one project per night idea works, but we have had to put it on a back burner the last couple of weeks. We had borrowed an appliance dolly and we finally (after 4 months) moved our old fridge out of the living room and out to the garage. I hated it in there, taking up so much space. Plus it was very loud. So, onto the dolly and out through the snow (we plowed it through snow in the yard to get it to the garage - Mike and I pulling on the front, and the boys behind, pushing and making sure it stayed balanced). I'm sure it was very funny to watch.

Putt- Putt

Last night I had to take my Trail Blazer over to Chevy to fix the heated seat (the best thing EVER invented!!). On the way back home, Mike and I drove by the used car lot and I saw a little electric car (around the size of a golf cart I think) - the City of Sturgis has one they putt around town in. I said "Oh, isn't that cute. I could use that when I just need to run into town instead of getting out the big car". Mike kind of grunted and home we came. Today he ran home on his lunch hour to bring me back to Chevy to get my Blazer. He called me while I was driving home, and said he had stopped to look at my little Putt Putt. He agreed it was very cute (it's even red, one of my favorite colors). There was no price posted on it though, Sighhhhhh.

Small Victories

I've had a very challenging week. My grandfather, one of the dearest men in the world has health problems. I recieved an unexpected bill. Our apartment house had 2 of the apartments vandalized. If bad things truely come in 3's, I'm done for a while. This morning I went to meet a friend for breakfast and noticed that I needed to get gas. Corner gas station (which is usually most expensive around here) had it for $2.49. I was heading up to Michigan, and figured it would be cheaper there. Nope - $2.59. HMMM to get gas on my way back to the house (Mike needed me to call him with some information when I got home) or wait until later (not sure when the insurance people would want us to meet them at the house). We could be in a hurry later so I stopped on the way home. I pulled in and began to fuel up. As I was standing there waiting (my car has a large gas tank) I was looking around and noticed the road sign now said $2.59!!! What the heck am I paying? Did they change the price as I pulled up? Nope, mine was pumping at $2.49. It's not much, but this week, a victory.

Living In A House Of Royality

When we took in a stray cat several years ago, the boys named her Princess Fiona, after the princess in the Shrek movies. She wears a jeweled collar, as befits her royal status. But when we married Mike, we added a queen to our household. Really, Santara is the Cat Who Would Be Queen. She believes that I am the biggest intrudered into her kingdom, tolerating me only because Mike does. Mike is the one who made her believe in her royal status, and she definately makes her wants known. Yesterday she was Meowing in the bathroom while Mike was getting ready for work and I heard him turn the shower on briefly and then off again. knowing he took his shower the night before I had to ask "You didn't just turn the shower on so she could get a drink, did you?" A sheepish "Yes" was the answer. When I told him I would have just let her go down to her dish in the kitchen, he said "If you asked me for a drink, I would go down and bring you one back up here". How can I argue with logic like that?

The Boys Are Back

Yeah!! The boys are back to school today. I love my kids, but yesterday was a day of extremes- we were either having a really great time or the fighting made me just want to throw them both out into a snowbank. Luckily we have someone who will plow the driveway here since it is so long. We went out to dinner last night and I had no idea the snow was as deep as it was (and we had it plowed once Tuesday night). These are the days that make me love my SUV even more than I normally do - and the 4-wheel drive made Mike happy since he took my car to work yesterday morning. I have to go over to my house today to try to shovel ( I am saying a little prayer that the snowblower can handle all the snow) out the dirveway for the open house on Sunday. I hear there is more snow coming Friday, Sat and Sun now, so we will be out there again one more time. Winter in the mid-west - gotta love it.

Snow, Snow Go Away

After getting snow all day yesterday, we are in for more today. The boys are home from school (and with no odd rituals, Jack) and already going stir crazy. We are having a "Land Of The Lost" marathon - Pete got the old TV series DVD's for Christmas. The winds are picking up and drifting has started, although we are not yet at the 3-5 foot drift levels they predicted. Today we are supposed to get lake effect snow down here. BRRRR it's cold.

Boys

Sunday we went to the Middlebury Church of the Brethern to help host a lunch done as a fundraiser for Mike's Puerto Rico Mission Group. My contribution was to be making 2 chocolate torts. Saturday we were out all day and evening and did not get home until 9 PM. So Mike was recruited to help make desserts - it was after all HIS event. Sunday it was off to church to help with the soup and sandwich lunch. Steve went off with some friends and Pete was stuck with us. When he gets bored, he tries to be helpful, so he was in the kitchen buttering bread for the grilled cheese sandwiches. Mike decided I would be useful helping him serve desserts, and Pete (who has never cooked before) wanted to grill sandwiches. After watching him try his first couple, jobs were re-arranged and he was doing desserts with Mike and I was grilling - 20 years at McDonalds prepares you if you should ever have a grilled cheese emergency. An hour later the event was declared a sucess and we got to eat. Sadly, they ran out of soup and sandwiches were getting scarce, but there was plenty of DESSERT to go around!!! When it came to clean up, Mike disappeared(??) and the boys dug right in. I was told by several of the ladies that they may not know how to cook, but they sure could clean. They didn't even have to be told what to do for the first part of clean up. I guess being a single mom for so long did them some good - they have been cleaning up since they were old enough to throw their toys into the playpen before we put them to bed. See, mom is good for teaching them something.

Yesterday I called my realator, slightly unhappy. When we signed on with him, we were very hopeful. He had a plan, even in this economy, to sell the house. Every 2 weeks would bring a price decrease, a little higher realator commision on it to encourage realators to bring their clients around to us and maybe that could be the push if our house was a top contender in the choices. So, the first price change came as promised. Only 2 people have come to look at the house. I saw there is an open house on the house accross the street from mine on the 14th and waited almost a week to hear from John. Nothing. So I called him yesterday - oh, yes, let's piggyback an open house for us onto that one - good idea. Yes, I was going to call you this week to talk about lowering the price again, let's get that done before the open house. I know the economy is bad, but we need to get this house sold and the payment gone. Anyone want to buy a really great house????????

It's So Agrevating

Mike was using my computer the night before last and noticed something did not seem to be running quite right on it. He thought to run a Norton virus scan, but my Norton icon was gone. He then followed the trouble shooting off their website and as directed he removed the Norton. He then went to re-load it and got the message that if we had purchased our Norton less than 60 days ago, the re-load was free, otherwise pay now. So back we go to look up when we bought it - we knew it was recent. 63 days ago we bought a 2 year subscription. So on to the phone to call and see what can be done. The number we called gave us another number - 2 1/2 hours later we hang up from sitting on hold and go to bed. Mike got from the hold message that he could go on line and schedule a call back from Norton. So, before he leaves for work yesterday he tries to set that up. The only time available (and he could not go farther into the week) was 1 AM Wednesday morning. So he gets home and calls the number again after dinner. 5 hours later (and he had a priority number last night) he hangs up from hold and comes to bed. We are now very frustrated. He is calling the first number again tonight to either demand an immediate call back, or a refund and we will buy from another security provider. Not only is this frustrating, it is making my husband very cranky from the incovience and lack of sleep from getting to bed late.

The Quilt

When I was a kid, my mom began making a quilt for her bedroom. The carpet in the bedroom was red. The adjoining bathroom had a red sink and wall paper with red velvet designs and used red towels. As you can imagine, red bedspreads were hard to find, so Mom decided to make a quilt for her bed. I remember looking in fabric stores whenever we were near one for small amounts of red fabrics. She used a pinwheel design and no two pinwheels are exactly alike. For years she would sit in her chair when she had spare time to hand quilt all the details. Unfortunately, I don't think that she ever used it on her bed. After years of use, the red carpet needed to be replaced. By that time Mom and Dad were looking toward retirement and selling the house to travel full time in the motorhome. So the bedroom was re-done in a more trendy sage green. The quilt was packed away. When I moved into my new home a few years ago, I came home from work one day to find "The" Quilt in my house with a "Happy Homewarming" note attatched. Unfortunatley, a year or so before I moved to the new house, I had re-done my bedroom in the old house and had used all of those things in my new bedroom. So, again "The" quilt was packed away. Now, here I am in this house with Mike. He likes my bedroom stuff and would gladly have moved his bedroom things out to move mine in. This weekend I had an epiffinany. My new room here is a loft. No windows in our room to use my curtains- the light comes across the cathedral ceilings from the 8 foot livingroom windows. The walls are slanted, so no wall room for the pictures we painstakingly picked out to match my comforter. The carpet is a neutral light brown. Why not use "The" quilt now. Hey, we are in the middle of Amish country, so it's extremely appropriate to the atmosphere. Last night I put "The" quilt on our bed, and called Mike up to get his opinion. Keep in mind it took us 6 months to find a ceiling fan for our bedroom that we both liked. He liked it alot. I told him to be honest and if he did not want it let me know now, but he really likes it. We have somethng now that is Ours, it wasn't His, it wasn't really Mine since I had never used it. After all the years of loving care it took to make "The" quilt, after all the years of being set aside in a closet waiting to be used, it is finally home.