Balancing

So the camper that I mentioned in the previous post, didn’t work out.  Clint, the girls and I drove down on Saturday to see the camper that I showed you, and when we got there, it wasn’t in nearly as nice of condition as they told us it was.  The canvas was torn in several places, the power converter didn’t work, and a couple of zippers on the windows were broken.  So they didn’t want to sell it to us for the price we had negotiated because of all of the repairs it needed.

So we ended up going with a new one.  It’s a 2009 model.  I’m thrilled with this, because then we know that there isn’t anyone else’s ’stuff’ in the camper.  Who knows what kind of people owned it, so knowing that it is completely unused is such a great feeling!

We go pick it up tonight, so I’ll post pics when I can.  It makes me even more excited about our long weekend trip to the Kentucky Horse Park that is happening in just about a week and a half. 

Being back to work has been a struggle.  It’s odd that just two months ago, I was able to handle the work schedule, kids schedules, and home.  Yeah, it was a bit overwhelming, but I managed it.  Right now, my house has fallen apart in the one week that I have been back to work.  Thank goodness I only have this week and 4 days next week and I’m done again.  This new girl is really working out great!

So I am off to the grocery store.  woot.

Clint has been talking for years now about getting a pull-behind pop-up camper for the family to go camping. I can’t believe I agreed to this, but today? We put a down payment on one. The payments are so sickeningly low, I couldn’t refuse. I would rather camp in this than a tent!!!

We want to be able to take more ‘long weekend’ vacations each year, and when you compare a nights’ stay in a hotel ranging anywhere from $95.00 - $175.00 per night, to the campgrounds with showers, bathrooms, pools, etc. for $20.00-$25.00 per night, you really can’t beat it.

Awesome family time that DOESN’T include a TV!!!

I have forgotten to post about this. This Monday, I’m going back to work. The girl they had hired to take my place didn’t work out, and today is her last day. I get to go back on Monday for 2-3 weeks to train someone new. If it wasn’t that my mom is/was my boss, I wouldn’t be doing it, but I feel terrible that she’s overwhelmed as it is, and trying to train someone new would just put her over the edge I’m afraid.

Today I have to go and sign up at a Temp Service to get hired back. Yeah. I worked there for more than 10 years, but for me to go back to work to help the COMPANY out, I have to go and spend 2 hours filling out paperwork today at the Temp Service to train someone for them.

So posts might be even more infrequent for the next couple of weeks.

I couldn’t sleep again last night. I was up until 4 a.m. Luckily the ‘design bug’ hit me and I spent most of the night drawing up our garden for next year. By. Hand. Not this fancy computerized stuff. I didn’t take the easy way out. (ok, you realize that I’m only talking myself up because I really DID want a computer program to draw it up, but didn’t feel like trying to figure out how to make the programs that I do have work for what I wanted to do, nor did I feel like trying to figure out a trial version of a new program I could have downloaded).

Anyways, this is the first item from my 101 in 1001 list that I have completed. Feels pretty good to have taken this list seriously and gotten going on it.

I have to take a picture of the plan I did and also show you the brick pattern that I want for walkways in the garden. Yeah, it’s not just a till up the ground and plant stuff kinda garden. It even has a seating area.

Oh the things you can accomplish when you can’t sleep, are way overtired, and possibly even begin to hear voices.

Tag!! You’re it!!

Here are the rules:
1. Link the person(s) who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

I was tagged by Elizabeth @ Small Town Blessings

My Quirks:

1. I have to do things in sets of 4. For example, if I touch one finger with my thumb, I have to touch ALL of my fingers in pretty much the same spot on each finger and then do it again 3 more times to make 4. It’s all related to OCD.

2. I cannot, I repeat CANNOT write with a pen that has a cap to it, if the cap isn’t on the end of the pen. The cap can’t just be sitting somewhere, or in my hand, or even missing. I’ll throw the pen away if the cap is missing just because I know I can’t use it without the cap on the end, and it will make that little voice in my head scream at me until it’s gone. Yes, again, the OCD.

3. When I fix a plate of food: First, the food cannot touch each other. Second, I have to eat one food at a time until that food is gone (like, I can’t try a bite of each thing on my plate…whatever I start with has to be finished before I move onto the next food). Third, I have to eat things in order of least favorite first, and ending with my favorite. Clint always laughs at me because usually by the time I get to my favorite food on the plate, I’m too full to eat it.

4. I drive with both feet. My first car was a ‘69 Chevelle and in order to keep it running when I stopped at any time, I had to keep one foot on the brake and one giving it gas. I did it for so long that it just became a habit.

5. I’m 6′0″ tall and I love to do boxing. So I should be an intimidating person if need be, right? Nope. I’m scared to death to stick up for myself. Even when someone is being rude as heck to me, I can’t bring myself to be nasty. I completely hate that about myself.

6. When I’m upset or stressed, I shake my foot furiously and I chew on the inside of my cheek. I don’t usually realize I’m even doing it until Clint asks me what’s wrong.

Now that you all know WAAAAY more than you should (or want to), you are free to run for your lives!

And, this is pretty sad, but I only had 2 people that I really thought I ‘knew’ enough to tag (not including Elizabeth who tagged me), so I didn’t even list them. I’m going to leave it up to any readers that want to play along…
So if you read this post, and want to play, just leave me a comment linking me to your answers so I can read them!

I figured out my last 6 items for my list. She be complete.

<-- Check out my 101 in 1001 page on the left <--
It took me about 4 hours last night (staying up till after 2:30 a.m.) to get most of my list complete. I just need 6 more things.

This Sunday, my brother, his wife, and my niece (who is 9 months old and I’m meeting her for the first time!!!!) are coming to stay with us for a week. My Home Organizer has been such a blessing in getting ready for the company. In the last 3 weeks since I have become a SAHM, I have been following (for the most part) routines and slowly but surely getting the house pretty organized where it doesn’t feel overwhelming at all. Yesterday I actually didn’t have ANY laundry that I could do. WEIRD. I got holes patched in the wall of the girls bathroom and got it re-painted. Added a green vase to the shelf to pretty-it-up a bit.

Organizing and cleaning little by little has really made getting ready for a houseful pretty simple. NOW I see what all the fuss was about with the organizers. I will post some pictures of mine soon.

I have left this post from last Wednesday, because I didn’t link up correctly and my link was deleted. So here goes!

This is my first Works for Me Wednesday, and although I have had the picture taken and the write-up done for a few weeks, I kept forgetting on Wednesdays to post.

My tip this week is for filling bird feeders, making it easy for the kids, and storing the bird food.

First, we stocked up on 2-liter bottles. Yes, I let my kids drink pop *GASP*…beieve me, I’ve heard about that from our neighbors all too often. Then, I go to our local Bird food store and buy the big 50# bag of seed. I take the 2-liters and fill them with the seed. Little tip: Even our biggest funnel would not let the seed flow through to the bottle, so I have to improvise and make a funnel with one hand while pouring in the seed from a large cup with another.

We store 8 2-liters at a time filled with seed (refilling as we use them), so that whenever the feeders need filled, the girls can grab a bottle and just pour it in without seed falling all around them. It’s been so great for us!

Being at home is better than I could have ever imagined. My house has been completely in order, exactly 3 times in the last week. Not what I wanted, but it’s getting better already. Not to mention, I have been baking, cooking, and canning in addition to all of the housework, Abbie’s horse riding lesson, and now tomorrow Megan begins a ‘Cheer and Tumble’ class. She’s so excited !!

Father’s day here was so great. We got up early and made breakfast for daddy. The girls wanted to make him sausage gravy and biscuits. Abbie followed the recipe and made the biscuits all on her own, including putting them in and taking them out of the oven. She LOVES to cook! It’s great! Then Meggie and I worked on the Gravy. She got to add all of the ingredients once the sausage was fully cooked. It was so special for them.

Then Daddy got his gifts. Meggie made him a ‘Skeletope’ (telescope…she just can’t get that word to come out right…), her pocket bible (with a bow on it) and a rock. So sweet. Abbie drew him an amazing horse picture. Then we gave him the gift we all made for him:

He loved it! He has wanted pictures for his office for awhile now, so he was tickled.

Then for my canning. I went on Saturday morning and got 2 flats of strawberries. Last night I cleaned them and removed the tops. Today I ran them through my Kitchen Aid grinder and made some strawberry jam. It’s so yummy! I ended up with 18 pint jars. I think next year I will double it and get 4 flats.