The past few months have passed with blinding speed. It never fails to amaze me how quickly life flies by.
The past month has been…trying. We spent several months anticipating the birth of a precious baby that my daughter was adopting…only to have the birth mother change her mind after he was born. It is hard to put into words how disappointed we all are and how hard it was to go through that. She is now back on the waiting list.
During the same time frame we experienced the death of a cousin who we were all close to. He had a massive heart attack and died in the cab of the truck that he drove for a living. He was only 53 years old.
Income tax time rolled around and we were kicked pretty hard by “good old Uncle Sam” due mostly to unemployment that my husband received during the last half of his year long job search. After three layoffs in 5 years…and a cut in pay each time a new job was found…paying taxes was difficult…but we got it done.
And currently, we are trying to figure out the best course of action in dealing with my mother. After my step father passed away, she found out that apparently he had signed a form on the wrong line when he retired. Consequently…she will not receive any of his pension… and her life has become a series of financial struggles. This combined with the fact that she is a hoarder (seriously)…has become a constant source of stress for everyone involved.
There are many days lately when we fear that the light at the end of the tunnel may truly be a train. However…it is only April…the year is young… (shudder). I know that things could have been much worse…and I have hope that the next 8 months will be better.
Be Well!
One down!
Monday is over...only four more days till the weekend!
Yay! I fully intended to go Christmas shopping tonight, but after a hot bowl of chili and a lesson in using the new remote control...I decided to make fudge instead. I got an
Eaglebrand fudge recipe online and tried it. I will let you know how it turns out!
Over the weekend we made a major purchase (major for us anyway). We were still watching an old fashioned 32" TV (not flat panel), so we broke down and bought one as a Christmas gift for each other. So far I absolutely LOVE it. I am not much of a TV person...I have a few favorite shows, but I would usually rather listen to music. And...with the attention span of a gnat...I rarely finish an entire show without wandering off for a bit. Anyway...I have discovered the music channels! More than a dozen channels with every kind of music that one can imagine! I totally love Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock and Christmas music of all kinds! It is awesome!
And...tonight...Closer and Men of a Certain Age are both on! Great night to be in out of the cold!
Be Well.
Tis the season
As we plunge headlong into the season…it is easy to become stressed and frazzled with the hectic holiday schedules that we almost certainly will experience. Here are a few suggestions for destressing a bit and enjoying this wonderful time of year a bit more!
1. Set aside an evening each week to relax in front of the television and enjoy a few of your favorite Christmas movies! My personal favorites include “Elf”, It’s A Wonderful Life”, and Miracle on 34th Street”.
2. Take frequent breaks when shopping… for a soda or a cup of coffee and some people watching.
3. Decorate early so that the hard work that you put into lights, knick knacks, and the tree can be enjoyed as long as possible!
4. Cook ahead whenever possible for last minute parties, surprise guests, etc. Specialty breads, cakes, cookies and candy can be frozen/refrigerated, and ready to use with little notice.
5. Wrap gifts as you bring them home in order to avoid spending hours on Christmas Eve scrambling for enough paper, tape and tags to get the job done.
6. Buy and wrap a couple extra “gender neutral” gifts (candy, nuts, specialty coffees, etc.) for those unexpected folks who drop by with a gift for you.
Be Well!
December 2, 2010
It’s been a long and odd year full of ups and downs and lots of uncertainty. I haven’t blogged in a very long time. Frankly, I simply lost the motivation for a while. I have been thinking about trying to get back in the saddle…and although I am here now…I make no promises about tomorrow.
Just to catch up a bit…after a year of unemployment…my husband was hired as a purchasing agent by a local company. The overall work was not what he was used to doing, but he was so glad to get the job that he has been working very hard to learn and adjust. Unfortunately…it looks as though the company may end up leaving the area in a few months…so we could find ourselves back among the ranks of the unemployed in the not too distant future.
Although we are not looking forward to going there again…we now know that we can survive…should we need to. During the year of unemployment, we came to terms with many things. Among those things was the possibility of losing our home. Toward the end, we began to prepare to sell. I am so thankful that we did not have to do that. However, the experience made me realize that there are worse things than living in an apartment again.
As I watch the news today, and read the scores of accounts of those who are still out of work…I do so with the realization that no one is immune. At any moment…any job can be over. In the blink of an eye…anyone can be on the brink of foreclosure…or homelessness. What a sad commentary.
Well…that’s a start. Perhaps my next post will be a bit more uplifting.
Be Well
Sooo...we thought that everything was finally coming to some resolution. After a year of unemployment...my husband
received two job offers in the same week. One was a higher salary than the other, so he turned down the low one and accepted the high one. They scheduled him for some "testing", which he took. We waited for three days on word about what his start date would be, and they finally called today to tell him that according to the "test"...his management style isn't what they were looking for after all. He has been a manager many times and was very successful.
So...not only do we not have the job that he accepted...but the other one has been filled. I feel so bad for him...he has done everything right...to no avail. This week just needs to end.
Be Well
Unemployment sucks....
We are currently four weeks from my husband being laid off for a full year. It has been a long year...full of ups and downs...sadness and joy. We have survived thus far on my $12.00 an hour job and his unemployment check. He has 460 (plus) applications out there and has had numerous interviews...but so far...no offers. He has been diligent and untiring in his search for a job...but it just isn't "our turn" yet I guess. We have begun to consider the possibility of selling the house if a job doesn't come soon...but it is an option that we hope never becomes necessary. Just in case it does though...we have begun to clean out closets, cabinets, and "clutter" in order to properly "stage" our home if a sale becomes our only option.
It is amazing what we have collected over the past few years! I boxed up 2 tall stacks of Eskimo Joe cups, tons of plastic silverware, disposable cups, and coffee cups of every description! I think my favorite though...was a box of assorted toys! Our kids have been grown for several years now...but I am an eternal child at heart. I have been tossing assorted playthings in a couple of dresser drawers in the guest room for years...and every once in a while...I pull something out and play with it! As I looked over my box of goodies, there were several kinds of bubble wands, a bubble gun, two
potato guns, super balls, play
doh, jacks,
weebles, yo
yo's, crayons, coloring books, water color paints, paint brushes, sidewalk chalk, giant ball point pins, whistles, bells, blow up toys and a couple of miniature chairs (that was the top layer).
After cleaning out closets, drawers, cabinets, and shelves...we met with the realtor and realized that there are MANY more things yet to be done in order to put the house on the market! The next few weeks will be very busy (provided mother nature cooperates and gives us halfway decent weather). The outside of the house needs painted, though we have not had any issues...we need to have the roof checked in order to insure that there is no need for replacement/repair, windows need washed and some screens repaired, and the final step (should we need to proceed) will be to put about half of our furniture in storage and take all personal items out of the house (except those necessary for day-to-day life).
Who knew selling a house would be so involved!
Hopefully, this will all be unnecessary and we will have simply done the best spring cleaning ever!!
Be well!!
It's been a long five days! I've observed some things this past week:
1-Family tragedy pulls people
together in unexpected ways.
2-Family tragedy pulls people
apart in unexpected ways.
3-People are unpredictable...at best.
4-Ignorance is sometimes the best protection against bad behavior.
5-Your family might be Red Necks if
(a) the grieving widower almost dumps his dead spouse on the floor as he lifts the side of the casket
(during the viewing) in order to ascertain the number of poll bearers needed to carry her
(b) current family feuds must be considered during seating arrangements in order to limit the number of
"guests of honor" to only the one mentioned in the obituary.
Be Well!
