July, already?

It's hard to believe that it's already the first week of July. It seems that the time has flown by these last few months.

Things are going okay. Busy, as usual.

The things on our plate seem to change often. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. The kids don't seem to be bothered by it, so I suppose that is a plus. Now if I could just quit finding grey hair, I'd be happy.

I haven't mastered the art of "letting things go" very easily. My stress level is surely way too high. I'm not sure that I know how to operate on anything less though.

I'm still in school. I feel like I'm making a career out of being a student. *sigh* I am debating on what path to follow for the fall but will soon have my mind made up and registered for classes.

I'm still in a summer class and have about three weeks left before I'm done with that. Next week I have to go in to give a speech. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate public speaking. Send me good thoughts. You know, the ones that help me to not be nervous!

I'm still working, a lot! I've put in to have my hours scaled back beginning mid August because I won't be able to keep up with everything if I don't.

As some may know, we have been looking for a different place to live. There isn't anything wrong with the location or house that we are in now. We just would like to find something that is ours instead of paying so much in rent every month to gain nothing. We've been hesitant to say anything, hoping not to get our hopes up or jinx ourselves; however, I think we may have found a place. We are suppose to go look at it Tuesday afternoon/evening. I will let everyone know what we find out, when we find anything out. It would involve us moving from our current town into another one about 15 miles away. It would put me closer to the ambulance and Tim farther from the Fire Department. Can we say conflict of interest. :)

Tim is still laid off from GM. He is suppose to return on Aug 10th. We shall see. That has been a nightmare that we can't seem to sort out or wake up from lately. I would like to go back to having a routine...and soon!

I ask that you send up some good thoughts for not only all of the changes that we are facing but also for our Niece. She is currently expecting her second child and we ask that you send up good thoughts that everything will turn out perfectly. She and her husband welcomed their first child, a precious Daughter, earlier this year. Sadly, she passed away. Please keep their family in your thoughts as they go through these next few months with great anticipation and some fear as well.

There really isn't much more to update everyone on. Emilee is learning to ride a "two wheeler" and can't decide if she likes it or not. The kids are playing outside from sun up until after dark. They love the outdoors.

The baby chicks have grown into grown chickens, well, and dinner. Quick story on that, Tim didn't think that anything would bother them. Needless to say, we are now six chickens short and a wild animal had a tasty dinner. Darn food chain!

Our gardens are doing great. We already have some of the crops coming on. Yum! I can't wait to have the fixings for a fresh salad!

We are gearing up for our yearly family camping trip. The kids are thrilled and I am, well, not. I'm ready for the break and ready to enjoy the time "away" but I am not looking forward to packing up everything to go. I'll survive though. I always do.

I hope that each of you enjoyed your holiday weekend. I spent mine working. Such is life, I suppose.

Keep in touch,
-Becky

Hopeful & Photos

After climbing back into bed, the day wore on. I could hear the kids as they came in and out of my room. I couldn't sleep, as I had hoped for. I just continued to lay in bed until 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Tim said I needed to make an appointment to see why I'm feeling this way. He's determined that somethings wrong as this isn't normal or "me".

I went about the usual evening plans of getting the kids ready for ball practice. We packed up and headed in town. After dropping the first one off, I thought I'd skip over to the old house and pick up any mail that may be there. As I went to pull in, I noticed something on the door handle. Upon further inspection, I saw that the locks had been changed, a number had been posted for any emergencies, and there was a key box on the handle.

Needless to say, it was not a good way to start the evening off for me. I made some quick calls, remembered how to gain entry into my the house and did just that. Is that legal? Technically, it stated in the paperwork that we had thirty days after the sale date (July 31) if it was determined to be vacant. It hasn't been thirty days yet so I think I gained entry into my house. Either way, In all but an hour, A friend and I had taken the last of our items from the house. We locked it all back up and came back here. And so, it's over. Really over. I have no other reason to return there. In a way, it feels good. It's been very difficult to walk away of something that was mine. A place we raised our children. A place we called home. Maybe the good part is that I won't have to internally beat myself up every time I have to go there to get something. What's done, is done.

And so, I returned to retrieve the boys from their practices (Thanks to those I had watching over them while I was gone). We went to a friends, chatted a bit (or at least, long enough for my eldest son to run the battery completely dead) and headed home (well, after I was able to get the truck started again). And now, as if my night hadn't already been crappy enough, I noticed my check engine light is on. For Pete's sake, can I catch a break already? Drove it home, parked it, and called it a night.

Tonight, I am hoping that I'll be able to drift off into a peaceful slumber. The kids are all sleeping (and none of them in my room). The laundry is humming along and the photos I want to share with you are uploading. The house is cleaned and the schedule is all written for tomorrow. So, I suppose there is no need to stay up tonight. Hopefully my mind will rest so that my body may do the same.

As promised, here are the photos:
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Very tired but still moving forward

The first sale is done. It was very successful and helped out immensely. We are now boxing up anything that we want to put in the next sale and placing it in a designated area. Once we've moved, we will then hold another sale in town at a friends house where there is a little more traffic. Hopefully the second sale will be just as good as the first.

Looking into our garage, it doesn't appear to be any less cluttered. However, I assure you, we have actually parted with at LEAST a half of dozen truck loads of items. The hubby was able to part with a few of his large, clutter-inducing items. It was a great moment for me! :D

Today, I have had several moments of a great anticipation washing over me. I feel overly stressed out, more than what I have the last few weeks. I look around me and feel like I'm lost in a sea of things that need done. I've tried really hard to focus on one room, one area at a time. It just feels like such a daunting task and I've found myself wishing it was just all done and over with already.

Sleep has eluded me lately as well. I've tried to get my mind to unwind but apparently, I'm like my mother and that isn't possible. I've found myself staying up until 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning and getting up just three hours later. It's a vicious cycle. No sleep, grouchy momma, stress level goes up. I know it needs to stop. I just need to make myself stop and go to sleep.

Tomorrow, I'll be working again on packing things up. Tim has gotten some of the outdoor things taken care of, which I'm grateful for. I know that it will all come together in the end. I just hate hate hate trying to move people who are unorganized, unpacked, and unprepared for the move to begin with. And lately, I feel like that very person.

On the up side, we do have some time to spare. We have not received any type of papers declaring the status of our house. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. I'm not real sure how this all works, to be honest. We shall see. I trust that He holds the plan for us that is the perfect plan in the end. We will be okay.

We're about to go outdoors to sit around our bonfire pit for one last time. This will be the last night we are able to sit together, as a family, around our firepit that we made when we moved in. Such a cozy area filled with background noise of bullfrogs and crickets. The hum of the freeway is heard on occassion as well as the neighbors dog and jackass donkey. I'll miss most of these things; however, the jackass donkey is something I can truly live without. Heeee Hawww

I hope you all had a great weekend. I thank you for all of your support and encouragement. It really does help. I know that this is a path that was chosen for us long before we ever started down this road. I know that in the end, we will have learned something very valuable and life changing. As of now, I know that it has taught me to love my husband and my children even more and appreciate my friends, near and far, more than they'll ever know.

Thank you, to each and every one of you!
We love you all,
B & T

It's the illness that never ends...

Okay, so I realize that it's technically been eleven days since my last update. And in those eleven days, so much has happened. I am just returning home from yet another hospital visit and would love to share all that has gone on but I'm exhausted! A quick rundown will follow and tomorrow, after I write my research paper, I will give specifics. I've been thinking of you all, hoping you're all healthy and enjoying this great weather we've been having!

Saturday April 19: Urgent care visit for me. Told I had strep, given antibiotics.

Sunday April 20: Can't swallow anything. Now Jacob has it too. Both of us to ER. By the time we leave, Jake's fever is 103. I'm given celumedrol, fluids, and a Rx for T3 and "magic mouthwash." And...they call for the strep test that was done the day before...NEGATIVE~!! Grrr, why did they give me antibiotics then? Hello! Ever heard of Antibiotic resistance!! (This doctor was a piece of work, which I'll share with you if I remember later this week).

Monday April 21: All kids home sick.

Tuesday April 22: Jacob home sick.

Wednesday April 23: All kids to school. Emilee has K-roundup!

Thursday April 24: Jacob home sick yet again.

Friday April 25: All kids to school! Jacob manages to go twice this week. He stayed in bed sleeping most of the week away! (Keeping Jacob in bed is very rare!)

Saturday April 26: Fairly calm day.

Sunday April 27: Back to the ER with Jonathon who has had a fever (up to 104.5) for the past WEEK and has now developed a mouth full of ulcerations, spots, and is still with a fever of 101.5. Sent home, waiting for a phone call (now at 1:30am Monday) with results.

Needless to say, I'm exhausted! I'm sick of everyone being sick. I can't wait until we're back to normal. This past month has been absurd! Oh yeah, I forgot to share with all of you (and those that have children, just wait...your turn is coming, I'm sure). Our spring break started off with a case of headlice, in which three of the kids were "blessed" with. (When the kids returned to school, I called and reported it. We must have had a mild case and I caught it EARLY as there were only 2-3 bugs on three of the kids! There was a child in one of their classes though that was sent home because of an infestation!) The boys all ended up with shaved heads and the girls went through hours of "torture" as we combed every-single-piece-of-hair-on-their-heads. So not only did I get to spend a boatload of money on treating it (60.00) and washing every single item in our household at the laundrymat (75.00), but on top of it, my brand new washer sprouted a leak in the "boot" seal. Thankfully we purchased the 5 year warranty with it because the parts were 150.00, the labor was 160.00 and the service call was another 60.00. Talk about robbery!

So...we're starting this week off with:

Jonathon having a mouthful of sores, ulcers, and spots as well as a fever.

Emilee having a birthday on Friday (Five, already?)

And Momma having her final Chem exam on Saturday! (Thank Goodness)

I'm praying for an uneventful week. I'll share more tomorrow (well, today I guess since it's already 1:30am).

Stay Healthy,
Bec

Drained

Oh do I feel incredibly drained today! My head is stuffy. My nose is either running or stuffed. My throat is sore. My body feels very weak. I'm just drained. I've actually laid in bed most of the day. I've tried to watch the Daytona 500 from my bed by positioning the TV in the family room so I could see it but I wasn't very successful. I just woke up, feeling feverish. I hope this passes quickly. Jacob has it too!

So, the bathroom was left alone today. We're about 75% finished with it. We need to clean up, install a water line to the toilet (toilet is already mounted). Do a little bit of trim work and of course scrub everything down. Overall, it looks okay I guess. Tim textured one wall (the top 1/2) and then put up wanescoating. He likes it but everyone that has come over has said, "it's different." I guess that's how you could define us.

Different!

Have a great Sunday. Stay Healthy!

Another productive day

Went shopping with Jacob to get some things for the house. Ended up with new curtains for the livingroom. I really like them. They go with the walls pretty good.

Tim textured the wall in the bathroom. Hopefully we can get some paint on the walls before too long.

FIL came over and helped install shut off valves for the shower as there were none in place.

I'm starting to come down with the sniffles, which isn't suprising since all the kids have been sneezing, coughing, and/or stuffy. I'm not looking forward to dealing with this as it is sure to get worse before it gets better. ICK.

I went through all of the boys clothes that were in the dresser and stowed in baskets, removing approximately half of them that no longer fit. Jacob is now in a size 12 jeans (or 10 Husky) and a 12/14 shirt. Austin is in a size 7 jeans and a 7, 7/8 or 8/10 shirt. Gosh, someone put a brick on their heads! I can't hardly keep up! Not to mention the "pre-teen" and "wanna-be-a-pre-teen" stages are enough to drive me batty!

Next it's the closets, which I'm sure hold many things that no longer fit for them too.

Soon after, I'll tackle the girls' dresser and closet. They have hit a growing spurt too. Katelyn is in size 5 jeans. Shirts fit with extra room if they are 6/6x's. She can still wear a 5T without showing her tummy but by summer, I'm sure she will have shot up again like a weed. Emilee is wearing a 4 in jeans. Her shirts are 5T's (and can wear the 6/6x's quite nicely as well). So basically, Em can wear all of Katelyn's clothes but the pants are just a tad long on her. They are only 1 shoe size from eachother too. Em will be 5 in May. Kate will be 7 in August. Amazing at what my little four pounder's have grown up to be.

Last but not least, "short-man" will get his wardrobe gone through! He too is growing like crazy! He can wear 3T PJ's (a little big on him). His pants though must be 18 month (Jeans) or some 24 month (sweatpants). His shirts are more comfortable if they are 2-3T's. I'm just amazed at how quickly he's getting out of the "baby" stage and into the "testy toddler" stage! My five pound monkey amazes me every single day!

Tomorrow, I have yet another 8AM Chemistry class with a quiz to boot. In case you haven't noticed a trend, we have a quiz every single week with an exam in addition to the quiz every few weeks. As long as I keep my conversions straight, I think I'll be okay. I'm teetering on a 4.0 for the class so far. (as in I have an 89.6% and a 90% is a 4.0). I'm hopeful I'll catch up with the extra credit he gives.

I should try to get some sleep tonight. It seems that my weekends involve less sleep than the weekdays. So, I should try to catch some rest now since Tim's upstairs with our night owl, Jonathon. *sigh*

Have a great weekend everyone! Hopefully I'll have photos to share with you of our new bathroom & curtains.

-Becky

New New New!

This week we started on our bathroom remodel. Granted, most of the work has been done by Tim while I've been at class. And he's done a fantastic job. We decided on ceramic tile in the bathroom. He had never laid tile before so it was an experiment. It didn't turn out too bad. There were a few spots that looked really bad pre-grout but after the grout was put in, it isn't as noticable. He's not happy with the final results. I told him it's okay. It's only a bathroom! I've emailed a few of you photos but I'll place one on here too. My photo program is not working so I'm having to use Blogger's photo program. It could use some improvement. Notice the placement of the toilet!! :)



Hopefully we can get the walls finished/painted, the faucet installed (tub), and reinstall the toilet and vanity. We went with a new, smaller vanity for the remodel. The older one collected alot of junk!

The next area to be redone will be the entry way going to the family room. It's a small area so it should take very little time. The kitchen and dining room will be after that. What do you think about bright red tiles in there?

JUST KIDDING!

We're actually going with something neutral that we can accent with an area rug if needed!

Look a few posts back to see my other "new" item! Add that with my Valentines Gift and I feel like I've hit the jackpot!

Have a great weekend!

So long...

For the last 11 years, you have been by my side. Whether I needed you at 5:00 in the evening or 3:00 in the morning, you were there. Weekdays and weekends, no problem. You took care of things that I was unable or unwilling to do with my own two hands. You were faithful. I am very thankful to have had you with me. Now, I must say Goodbye. I admit, I have been unfaithful. I have found myself reaching out and relying on others who are doing a much better job than you could ever do. You can no longer keep up with me. Your performance has been lacking for quite some time now. I have just been too nice to bring it to your attention. So today, I finally decided it was time to cut all ties that I have with you. And as hard as it is to believe, you've already been replaced.

So long faithful friend.

Everyone, I'd like to introduce to you my new and improved....






So far, we've ran three loads through it and it seems to be doing a fantastic job! :) Does anyone else have a front loader? Do you love it? Like it better than a top loader?

All is calm...

**Funny how the title is the complete opposite of our household right now. I started this post shortly after 10pm. Then I noticed a noise. I looked, saw a leak, started searching and three hours later am left with a main bathroom in shambles. We had a faucet (tub) leak which was a much bigger leak than we originally thought and has destroyed the flooring in the bathroom. I've ripped up the vinyl flooring and pressed floor board leaving only the subfloor intact. Even that is questionable as to whether it will need replaced. *sigh* I guess when Tim gets home, he can figure that out. I've tried calling him a few different times tonight but he hasn't returned my calls. I guess he'll be in for a shock when he gets home! It looks like we'll be fixing a bathroom this weekend. What fun!**

First, GREAT news!

Miss K was released from U of M today!! She is home now with Momma and Big Sissy. I'm sure they are all thrilled to be back together!

Now, lets talk about the weather! We're in for quite a storm this evening! Anyone want to make a bet on school closings? If your in our district, who thinks that it will be cancelled?

::: jumping up and down as my hand waves in the air :::

The previous post shows the little secret I've been holding in for a bit now. If everything falls into place as we hope, we will be taking the crew back to visit the mouse! This time, ALL of our kids will be with us. Now if only we had someone to come along to watch the kids a night or two for us. I've always wanted to be watching Wishes with the Mr, hand in hand, as we stand before the castle. Sounds romantic, eh? *sigh* Someday, it will happen!

I was going to share photos of a previous trip BUT, after ripping out the flooring, I'm tired. So, I'll do that another time.

Enjoy your weekend, stay warm and stay safe! It's now 2:15am and I'm off to bed.

I think I'm going to lose it

Could anyone tell me what these all have in common:

















No clue? Well let me tell you...they both make for a really crappy weekend!

Friday night, I returned home to find out that we had no water. I flipped the well breaker...no water. I turned the breaker off and let it set a few minutes before resetting....no water. I decided to go online and do some research about "why my house has no water."

And the phone rings.

Now, since it's past midnight and it's not your typical hour to call and chat, I was startled. I answered, "Yeah." And I hear...

"I just hit a (insert beep) deer!"

To which I replied, "You've got to be (insert beep) kidding me!"

Yeah, um...it hasn't been a good weekend!

It is now Saturday and we are waiting for the "Water Master Guy" (as my children referred to him as) to return with a well pump. He believes that the pump is burnt out. If I wasn't already feeling horrible, this would surely make me feel sick to my stomach but I've already got that covered! I have NO idea what this will cost but I know that right now, the extra expense surely isn't in our budget! And top it off with the expense of getting his truck fixed and we're surely in the poor house (more than we ever were before).

So, yeah...emotionally, I'm a freakin wreck. Physically, I'm a mess. It's possible that I will be making a trip up to the ER to find out what is causing all of this pain. It's been 3 days now with this pain. I'm not sure if it's a gallbladder issue or not. It's in the right spot for it. I don't believe it's appendix as it's not low on the right side. In any event, I'm feeling crummy.

Can we just rewind back to a week ago? Please... Updates will come later...

**Just an FYI...the "Water Master Guy" has returned. He doesn't have any pumps, can't get ahold of one until at least Monday. He has put together a used one, in hopes that it will get us through until Monday. However, we're still looking at $$$$. I'm going to be sick....