Exhaustion Setting in....

Gosh I'm tired... and it's just the beginning of an eleven day work stretch. I'll make it but I sure wish that I could catch a nap during the day thats for sure. I'm getting a lot accomplished at work and things are improving but it's going to take time to get everything to Standards thats for sure.

I'm so happy that it is the last day of March - Greg will be home in about 2 weeks. I can hardly wait to see him and he can hardly wait to be back home. Last night when he called they were under a tornado watch; I could hear the wind over the phone and Greg said that lightening was coming out of the sides of the clouds. I told him he better get inside and off the phone.

I better get moving.

Another go at the floor....

Scott is putting the clear coat down on Greg's bedroom floor today and it's looking so lovely. Hopefully there won't be any issues with coat separation this time. Greg will be home in two weeks and it would be nice to have all his stuff back in his room. Scott has worked so hard on this project.

Blissful Morning!

I'm home! It's a quiet Sunday morning and I can hear the birds calling to one another, the cats purring contentedly after eating their fill (of cat food - not birds). And the sounds the house makes when all is quiet - a clock ticking, the coffee maker keeping the coffee hot and the creeks the house makes - all are comforting.

I bought some material for a new dress for myself yesterday and plan to start on it today between loads of laundry and cleaning the house. I also bought some flannel to make a few baby items for my new sister-in-law - yep I have another sweet nephew on the way due to arrive in July.






Our day in Charlotte was rained out for the most part - we drove up there and Scott set up for awhile and sold one item and then we left and went to see my family in Spartanburg. Abby modeled her hat and poncho that I made her and Phoenix has gotten so big! He really loves the texture of that hat and poncho too. Dougie was just happy to show us his new dinosaurs when he got home from school and then Uncle Scott was ready to head home. I slept most of the way back home too and let Scott do the rest of the driving. I needed that rest.

Greg is getting some final things taken care of and is so looking forward to getting home in two weeks - just two weeks and I will get to hug him and look at him again. I'll be one happy Mom then!

Off on an Adventure!

Well we will be leaving for a day long Adventure to Charlotte, NC... we are going up to attend the AWA meet. I'm just so happy to have a day with my best friend - my husband.

Change

We have changes afoot... Scott will be at his job for another month and then things will change for us. It will be OK... just different.

Things are looking up for me as I have hired 3 new people and they seem ready to work! YEAH! Perhaps I will actually get 2 days a week off soon.

It rained a bit yesterday and that helped some with the pollen but what we really need is a good steady down pour... heavy rain for about 4 hours straight to wash the air clean.

Surviving!

My head still feels yucky and if I'm still feeling bad by tonight I will go to the Dr tomorrow morning before I have to be to work. I'm thinking that I could be developing a sinus infection.

I'm so ready for Friday to get here.... and thankful that I will also have Sunday off this week.

Greg passed his first block test on the latest portion of his Utiliesman training. He has 16 days left to "A" school and then he will get to come home. I am so looking forward to seeing him again. I've missed him so much. He keeps talking about all the places he wants to go with us and where he wants to go out to eat when he gets home. LOL! He is just doing so well and we are so proud of him.

Last night when I got home from work Scott was out walking Amelia and I called to find out where they were so that I could walk to meet them. We met up down by the power line right away behind our house they were coming down from the community pool and I up toward it. As we walked together a gust of wind blew a cloud of pollen right into our faces. It's definitely Spring here now.... UGH pollen! No wonder our heads are all stopped up. After we got back to the house we washed our faces and hands to remove some of the pollen that had rained down upon us and went to the grocery store for dog food and odds and ends - $70 later we came home and cooked a dinner together - pork chops, steamed broccoli and cauliflower and some refried rice with onion and bell pepper. YUM! We had enough leftovers for lunches today... yeah no junk for me or Scott!

Scott cleaned out the largest of the raised beds in the garden and he plans to plant out the potatoes that have sprouted here in the house. We also bought some "fresh" seeds - peas, spinach, squash, peppers, okra and a spicy mesculen mix. Perhaps Sunday we will be able to build a couple new raised beds to replace the ones that have broken down.

I bought Greg a book called Dr BBQ's All Year Long Cookbook - by Ray Lampe. It has some absolutely delicious sounding recipes in it and since he loves to cook on the grill I thought it would make a wonderful welcome home gift. I'm thinking about putting together a whole gift basket of things for him to enjoy once he is home again.

My Mom called to say she has been laid off too. It seems to be going around these days - lay offs.

Allergies or a nasty head-cold?

I am feeling rotten this morning, I've developed a rotten head cold I do believe. And I've got to go into work today... a long day too but I'll manage. I'm so looking forward to Friday when Scott and I will have the whole day to spend together at the AWA Meet in Charlotte. Scott is going to sell off a bunch of his Antique radio collection as he has lost interest in rebuilding them and is ready to let someone else enjoy them. We have a few that we both really like and he will one day get them back in operational order so we can use them in the house. He is so talented at making them run and look like new again.

AH COFFEE sounds ready. I need to drink a bunch of water before I go into work too as I am so dehydrated at the moment. And a hot steamy shower sure would make breathing more pleasant this morning. I wish I had some of those tablets you drop in the shower that releases mentholated vapors.

Time for breakfast - the shower helped by my head still feels like crud.

TO THE FUTURE!!!

May we always have each other and our basic needs met!
Thats it all that is really required.
I don't care to live in a large house anymore and things are just things that quickly turn to clutter.
Time spent together doing nothing in particular that cost absolutely nothing is worth more than all the gold in the world.
Pretending I'm someone I am not just to meet societies "norms" is not for me.
I march to the tune of something that does not require the rhythmic beating of a drum.

OK! OK!

WE ARE GOING TO BE JUST FINE! Are we worried - OF COURSE! Will we do what our family thinks we should do - PROBABLY NOT! Will we do whats BEST FOR US - YES!

Scott and I are very lucky to have found each other... we support,love, respect and encourage each other everyday. We don't need a mountain of money or a bunch of things to do any of that for each other.

Yesterday's River Walk

Yesterday before I went into work Scott and I took Amelia to the River-walk; Scott took the day off to pull his head together after the lay off news he received day before yesterday. We are still in shock but are coming to grips with it and formulating a plan to recover from it.
We had so much fun at the River - I was 30 minutes late getting to work but then I stayed until 8:30 last night. Here are some pictures from our walk.

Some of my family...

Dougie with his safety glasses on.





Abby in the hat that I made for her.





And Phoenix with Grandma (my Mom).

Something more pleasant to think about...

OK; not all so pleasant - Here is a fire-ant pile in our driveway.
Other photos are of the blooms currently happening in our front yard - tulip bush, flowering almond and the hawthorne tree.

Recession---- leads to DEPRESSION!

I don't care what they say about this being "just a recession", everywhere I look and the people I talk to daily are sounding and looking more depressed everyday. And now that Scott's been laid off it's truly hard to even think of it as just a recession either. I know that we will get by but it won't be easy; at least we know how to do most things for ourselves and know how to cut way back and still survive.

No One's Safe

Don't get too comfortable in your job these days as it can end tomorrow - just like that it could end. Scott got laid off today. I guess we will see what the future holds from here. I'm going to keep plugging away at Jo-Ann's and make it work. And hope and pray that they don't start cutting back too.

On a brighter note... in less than a month we will get to see our wonderful son again. I can hardly wait. He has grown so much since Christmas; you can hear it in his voice. He truly is unique... no other quite like him.

The flowers are stunning at the moment and my sinuses continue to show their appreciation for them by making me feel like my head weighs a ton. The walking onions that I divided and reset in the bed along the garage are doing very well. The peas that I planted never sprouted; perhaps the seeds were too old. I may try to do something out there in the morning since I don't have to be to work until 11 tomorrow.

Well I'm feeling the sleep coming over me as I sit here typing. Time to listen to this body of mine and get some rest. Good Night!

Broke Down and took an allergy pill

I have kept a head ache all day today and have finally given up and took a store brand Benadryl so I won't be awake for long now and am just hoping that I hear the alarm in the morning. But I had to get some relief and some much needed sleep. If Greg is going to call I hope that he does it soon.

Greg is to graduate on April 16th and from what he has heard once he graduates he is sent home right afterwards. Something wonderful to look forward to.

I bought some beautiful fun fabric to make something adorable for a certain spoiled little girl that's name starts with "A"... lol. I will post pictures when I get a chance.

Spring - Pollen Season

I have another sinus headache - love the flowers of Spring but hate the allergies! Today I will take an allergy pill before I leave the house.

Everything is going pretty well; I'm just tired - awful tired. I've got to get things to a point that I am not working so many days and no more than 9 hours a day. I think I've found a Receiving person and plan to get her in today or tomorrow to fill in paperwork and such. I'm hoping and praying that everything works out to bring her on board.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

I hope that everyone that reads this blog of ours has a wonderful green day today!

Rainy Sunday!

I'm off today but have work that I have to get done sometime today as I have to send a report to my boss tomorrow - got the notes just need to get it all typed up and emailed to her. Hopefully it is detailed enough but it probably won't be.

I just dragged the laundry out to the laundry room - I wish the washer and dryer were just in the bathroom where we remove our clothes or somewhere near the bedrooms where they end up after washing. People that draw up house plans sure don't think enough about "functionality" or "simplicity" - why anyone would ever put the laundry in the kitchen or out in the garage is beyond me... near the back door would be good if you had access to a clothes line but couldn't that also be close to a bathroom and the bedrooms? HHHHMMMMMmmm.... jutting down for future plans. Climbing My. Laundry today - will be using the dryer as there is no sun.

With the rain falling the past two days the flowers and trees are really putting on a show in the neighborhood. We are to go over to Scott's Moms' in awhile for corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day dinner... early; and I will drag the camera along to see if I can get some pictures between rain showers. Of course the blooms also mean allergy season is upon us big time - could be the major cause of my awful headache. I took an allergy tablet but still have the headache.

My books came in from Amazon yesterday that I ordered for Scott to give me for my birthday. The package was sitting on the porch all night as he didn't see it out there as it was right up next to the house and not visible unless you opened the door.



I'm going to enjoy these IMMENSELY! THANKS SCOTT!

Another Wicked Headache Morning

I was awoke by a wicked headache and my left ear feels totally plug up. OUCH! I'm hoping sitting up will help it drain so the headache will let up soon. The smell of coffee brewing is wonderful and Tesla is making little cat noises - he has all ready had his breakfast - it's like he is welcoming a new day. He keeps checking the window to see if Nick has come home - I think he does that knowing Nick will be let in for his breakfast and with any luck Tesla will be able to snitch some.

Scott is sleeping peacefully at the moment; another reason for me to be out here as I couldn't lay still in the bed. Yesterday Scott vacuumed Greg's floor clear of sanding residue so that he can stain it; perhaps today. We are both ready to have this project truly over and hopefully this time it will go better as we have new clear coat and Scott is going to seal it before he clear coats it this time to be sure the stain and clear coat don't react badly to each other. Greg will be home mid-April and we want to have his room back together when he gets here. Which means I also need to get busy on the curtains/drapes for in his room. Perhaps I will work on those today.

I watched I Am Legend last night - What a depressing movie. Time to get in some Comedies!

My Goofy Nap Partner

After several little naps throughout today what better way to show your love, adoration and appreciation for your human - ACT GOOFY!

It's my day off and I'm taking it!

I am taking this entire day off to myself... I HAVE TO HAVE IT! I'm loosing perspective and need to rest and regroup at least once a week. I've got to listen to my body more closely this time around.

The cats are playing and I am hoping that they don't disturb Scott as he is still trying to sleep. I just woke up at 4:30 with a bad dream and could not get back to sleep, so I made a pot of coffee and have been cruising around the web. "You can make this" has new patterns on their website and Lion Brand yarn is doing a crochet a long for an awesome jacket that I'd love to make. I've printed off the instructions and will look and see what I have in my stash that maybe I could substitute for the yarn they call for in the pattern. I'm trying to use from my stash MORE - it's so hard when there are so many wonderful projects out there waiting to be made.

The weather is supposed to turn back cold for the weekend. We've been leaving windows open since the weather has been so nice - not too hot or too cold. I guess we will be closing them up by Friday. The spring blooms are everywhere though so it won't be too long before warm/hot weather is here to stay.

I need to make myself some spring dresses to wear everyday. Something quick, easy and just pull-on out of cute spring fabrics. Or maybe some funky tie dye fabrics.... hmmmmm I think I have about 8 yards of tie dye fabric - I could make 2 or 3 for me and perhaps one of two for my niece, Abby. HHHMMMmmmm....

I have new books coming in from Amazon - hopefully today - 2 are on vegetable gardening and one is on Amigurimi crochet (probably spelled incorrectly). The whole reason I wanted the book is for the stuffed cat on the cover - isn't that awful!?

Finding a Balance

That is what I need to do - find a balance in my life. I just started this new position and am all ready starting to feel tremendously overwhelmed as the place is in such a horrible condition. I need another manager that cares what happens in the building and I need the staff to catch on to what I need from them every day to get this place looking good again and producing more than a mess. I'm going to walk the store today and make a list of issues and changes I'd like to make. As well as repairs that I see need to be done. It may actually turn out to be a legal pad FULL!

I'm weary and am ready for my day off.

ONE OF THOSE DAYS!

I've had one of THOSE days - you know the ones where you wished you could just start it over with all the right answers a head of time. Thats what today was for me.... repair persons, rodent control man, big direct vendor shipments and a surprise delivery of a new thread fixture to name a few. TOMORROW WILL BE BETTER!

Took a walk at the River with Scott and Miss Amelia; she was SO HAPPY! She sounded like a steam locomotive walking along. We got to see a red fox across the river and 5 vultures settling in for the night AND a baby cotton mouth snake and wouldn't you know it we were camera-less! Now for some deep sleep!

What does it mean to turn 45?

Well I'm officially 45 years old... where has the time gone. If I live to be 90 I'm half way there! My hair is nearly all silver, I get tired so much more easily and think naps should be a work requirement. I wish I could shed the 50 extra pounds I'm carrying to save my heart some stress. My Grandma was right - there really are NOT enough hours in a day to get everything I want accomplished. My desire to have things paid off completely is very strong and I want more now than ever to be on our 10 acres feeding chickens and rabbits and working the soil daily. I want to pass my hours sewing for my large extended family making things they can't find anywhere else but from my hands to be cherished and passed on to their children. I want to watch the sunrise every morning from a porch swing or rocker and to also find my self there every evening to watch the sun set. I want to read more fiction and less work related material. Living this high stress fast paced life isn't something I desire to do for more than another 2 to 5 years.... preferably only 2 or 3 years. I definitely don't want to be pushing this hard when I'm 50. I'm thankful to be alive and am looking forward to many more years ahead of me.

A STRIPPER for my birthday!

OH HONEY YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE!
I told Scott I was posting this to our blog and he roared with laughter. GIGGLE!

My first birthday present!

Pictures from Greg! These are of him and then he sent some of Base life but I'm not sure I should post them here for Security reasons, so I won't.

WEEK ONE!

I've made it a week back as a Store Manager with Inventory under my belt as well and I'm going in early this morning to complete all plan-o-grams that are due this week as well as complete the ones that were not done last week. It's going to be another LONG day! And my body has me awake at 1:30 AM - I should still be asleep until at least 4:30.

PRESSURE

Well I'm definitely back in the pressure cooker - tomorrow is Inventory and I'm being held accountable for what was not done before I got there. Expectations of peers are that I need to live in the Store; not sure I can do that for health reasons. I think 5 to 6 days a week 9 to 12 hours a day should be enough of my soul. I give 110% when I'm there and change occurs slowly. I will do my best and hope that it is enough for them, I just will not give up my entire life for a job again. Perhaps I'm just exhausted after a 14 hour day yesterday and will feel more "into it" tomorrow - OH YEAH! THATS INVENTORY!

March 1rst and SNOW?

There is snow in our forecast for tonight and I have to be at the store at 8 AM tomorrow, I'm hoping that the snow is a mistake. There is a LOT to be accomplished at that store... what a MESS! Baby steps done quickly is what I need to get accomplished. LOTS of bad behaviors to change and lots of organization to get set in place so that the store will run smoothly from now on. OH and I need two more key holders - one being a receiving manager. AND our Inventory is in 4 days! What a way to start a new job.

It's raining now and I am hearing thunder in the distance. I'm enjoying a quiet morning with a cat on my lap... he got me up at 5 AM this morning. I guess he likes these early mornings and has decided that it is something that he is more than willing to go along with... even on my day off. I may need to catch my own cat nap later today.