What is keeping me busy

Well I lost my photos for the moment so....Let's talk about what keeps me busy these days and in the past year and why I slack on blogging. 

First life: It's been a busy year of settling the in laws estate, had to sell the house and empty the house and all the meetings and this and this and that. We were lucky as they had everything in order. But things take time. We just closed the estate so it took about a year's time even with all the ducks in a row. We didn't get anything but a car, the car is 17 years old and in good shape. Everything went to be invested in the family's business. That was a surprise we didn't see coming. But it is something we, well I planned on. I wanted to plan our money and set up our lives around not getting anything that way if we got something it would be a bonus. 

So this past fall after tired of having life on hold. Because I can't tell you how many times I've set up stuff and had to cancel and drop life because one in law or the other was in the hospital. We no longer have to drop life. So I got my tush in gear. Got boys signed up for swimming lessons. So they are doing those now. I signed Ethan up for a Lego computer class, he really likes that. That is about to end and I have signed him up for a different computer class. So I now spend a lot of time driving. 

We tried looking for a house last year. that just was a no go. Really nothing out there. So we decided to go onto plan B. took months to find someone to come out here and draw up plans. Got those in hand right after Christmas. We had a builder who we really liked, and had a meeting. And then we hit a wall. Apparently we have to go through a gopher study. WHAT? we don't have gophers? So talked to the builder and made a deal. If the permits take longer then 6 weeks we walk away from each other. but if we get them in less then 6 weeks you do the build. See the builder wants to retire and we were suppose to be his last build. Well we have hit the 6 week mark. We decided not to sit on it and went looking for a new builder. We have one lined up but no meeting yet. So we are waiting for a gopher study. Heck we are still waiting for our first site visit, we were suppose to have weeks ago. We are adding on two rooms. One for Ethan, Tucker will move into Ethan's room and Cole will get his own room In the midst of that I get a craft room. 

We brought in two cats this past fall. One has kidney issues, and needs fluids every three days. After months of fluids and a good diet her numbers are getting better. But the vet and I have decided since she is older, unless or until she goes down hill we won't do any more work on her. She will get her fluids every three days and lots of love and just let her live out her days. The other cat is a healthy 15 pounder. Such a trouble. you often open a cabinet door and find him in their sleeping. How did he get in there? Oh never mind. 

Quilting. I have picked it up again and my brain has ran wild. Pictured are two of my latest quilts. But all my fabric is packed away in the shed. I put a new machine on lawaway. I've had my current machine for 15 years it's time for an upgrade. 

Genealogy. The Dimmick research is massive. And on going and I have plans to put it into three different books down the road. But a curve ball. See my dad doesn't know who his dad is. So we ran a dna test over Christmas and just to the results back. I know who his dad is, I have connected with the family but right now it seems my dad may be the only child of this man, making it more harder to fully connect him. So it's a work in process and will take some time to dive into.  

This past summer we had a fire. We had a massive forest fire. Hubby and I were up north out of town looking for a dishwasher. Get back into town running errands and my phone starts to blow up. Fire, it's a fast moving fire, but at the time it was across the freeway. In the time it took us to get home it had jumped the freeway and everyone was to leave asap. hum it took us a long time to get home, we went one way and they closed the roads so had to spin around and try it again. On the freeway both sides of the free way were just up in flames, all black. So finally get home and get the boys packed up and animals and we leave. Hubby had all the kids and most of the animals and we hid up the road and he stops and yells at me that we forgot the cat. So he went onto my sisters house and I spun around and ran in and got the cat. As I was racing in the police were at our neighbors telling them to leave now, you can see the flames. 

Few hours later we got the ok to come home but you may have to leave again. OMG the mess the black. The firefighters stopped the flames a few inches from our neighbors fence, if that fence would have went our whole block would have been gone. As everyone was on the other side of the fence fighting the fire. In the clean up we found ashes everywhere. How our house didn't go up is beyond me. Spent days without power. And even when we got power on it was limited. Internet was off and on. We are still hooked up to this box, they still need to dig up lines and replace them I think they are still debating if we are getting a new street? A few houses lost. A business. And lots of ground. Could not believe it jumped a six lane highway. 

That took up the end of summer. 

We built three sheds. One for garden stuff, one for storage and one for emergency, which cracks me up because we were working on that during the fire. Now we are in the midst of building a greenhouse. 

I'm sure I"m forgetting a few things? But that is life. 

Updating Garden

Well it's raining season so I have no new photos. I will soon. Lots going on out their. 

So last year I grew nearly nothing. We had wanted to move and I didn't want to leave a massive garden if we were moving. Well then we didn't move. 

I did remove a few small beds and added a few large beds. We took out a peach tree, well it was dead. 

So since we are probably staying here. For life, we are in the midst of putting in a massive green house. All the garlic is planted. Onions have been started. Bringing in racks in a day or two to start the peppers. Tomatoes start March 1st. 

This year it's onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, greens, cucumbers. Don't forget herbs like fennel, basil, lots of basil. 

Their will be lots and lots of canning this year. Exciting. 

First up is reworking the strawberry bed and then filling beds with dirt. It will be a big year so watch for photos later. 

Updating School

Thought I would jump on blogger tonight and see if I can try and update, see if I can't start to post regularly now right? 

So I'm still homeschooling. For the most part it's going pretty well. I am now on my own most of the time as hubby now works days and I'm often done before he gets home. 

Cole is doing AWESOME. he is about to wrap up 7th grade math, Scary. His reading this year has blown me over. We found some mine craft books and BOOM. He can't wait to get through them. For the most part he is doing well. 

Tucker well, hum. Math is going OK, he should be done with the book on time by the end of the year. Reading. hum nope. He reads daily but it just is not getting their. We'll keep going hoping at some point he will just pick it up like Cole has. 

Ethan, well we are knee deep in some ugly algebra. We are getting it, so here it is, I go through the lesson, if I understand well when I understand I then turn around and teach him and once he gets it he then does the lesson. His reading is going OK. It's not great, but he is reading and doing OK, I think with him it will come in time. 

So on English I am just failing. See they have the basics. But to get them to write. Just feels like I'm hitting my head against a brick wall. See I don't see the point of writing, well making up stories and writing and such. Yes I am currently writing a blog I get the irony of this. My fear is I will put Ethan into cc and he will just fail all the English classes because I can't get my act together about this topic. 

Since life has settled down (no it really hasn't) I started swimming lessons. I can not tell how many times I have tried to do swimming and had to cancel because of life. So this time around I have stopped the world and we are doing swimming. Can not believe I have a 14 year old that doesn't swim. Good news is he is picking it up really fast and should not be much longer for him to take off swimming. Tucker and Cole. Well we will keep going. We also do open swim so I can work with them. 

Ethan is doing a Lego-Computer class. It's coding and making Lego's do things. He really likes it. Now he wants me to save for this 500 dollar Lego set. ARGGGG but I saw it coming. Put it on the list. 

So today had a thunk, Ethan asked me to help him do something on the computer, it is way over my head. See he has taken the computer that was donated to us by a great friend and it's just his. Well fine, The stuff he is finding to do on it. But he asked a programming question and I really don't know. I muttered through it and we did it. But their has to be some computer classes he could be taking. After some googling found some through the local parks and rec. Called and signed him up. It's coding and yada, yada, yada. Way over my head stuff. It starts after the Lego classes end. I'm pushing Ethan towards computer classes and such, thinking this may be his alley. 

I want to move him over to cc classes when he turns 16-ish, even it it's just one or two classes to help me out. Like I have two more math books with him and then I am just done with him. If computer is his thing then see what it will take to move him to a computer type college after age 18 because I believe those are two year courses and then he is out in the real world working. But we will head to the local cc this summer and chat and see what sort of path we should think about putting Ethan on. 

Ethan is super excited to try this computer class. I hope he takes to it and asks for more. 

So their you go a quick update on home school life. 

One Wild Year

November 13, 2016 was a life changing day here. Which totally knocked my socks off. One day I'm still recovering from. Don't know if I ever will. So first I get a call that my husband fell out of a truck. Not only fell out of a truck, but he had a tape measure hooked to his back, which he landed on. Took him to the ER for x-rays. Nothing broken, but bruised bone. So after a lot of ER stuff and work stuff and this and that, brought him home and on the way home I side swiped a deer. Kid ya not. I saw the ditch and I'm like sorry deer, but I wasn't going into the ditch. I hit my brakes and he hit his, our sides hit and he ran off, no damage on the van.

Get home finally and get Russell all settled and kids to bed and the phone rings. My mil was rushed to the hospital. I was the only one able to race up and be with her. We now knew she was never to leave. We believe it was a serious of strokes. She fought hard to get moved to rehab and she won. I got the joy of moving her over there. It was a three week battle, but she left us to be with her husband of over 50 years who died a few months before her.

So my husband lost both his parents last year. It was a tough year. A lot to do, a lot to take care of, a lot of things got set aside. We paused school for about two plus months. The garden suffered.

Then this past summer we thought we were moving. We had nothing stopping us. No more 3am calls and putting our lives on hold to take care of in laws. Hubby's job may be moving south a wee bit. So let's move south. I tell ya we looked and looked and looked. We gave ourselves until September. And then onto plan B or plan C. We gave up looking and are onto plan B. Which is expanding the house. Plan B seems to be going well. We just ok'd house plans to add two bedrooms onto the house. Maybe later we expand out the kitchen and add a food room, but take it in sections. If all goes well we start after Christmas.

Plan C. Was to build an outbuilding for Ethan's bedroom, an outbuilding for my craft room. Not a fan of Plan C because it's going outside in the rain and the yuck of WA state. But it would be something we could do ourselves and not have to wait or hire anyone.

This past August was a life changing event. We never ever, ever never thought we would ever have to deal with a forest fire. But we did. So hubby and I headed up north, our dishwasher was just done and I wanted to hit the outlet appliance place. But they were in Tacoma, so we were going to be gone most of the day. We hit that, and nothing we hit a few more spots. We stopped for lunch. We headed back to town and Lacey and got a dishwasher ordered. Few more errands. Hit Home Depot and my phone started to go off??? My sister asking about the fire? what fire? I get on the neighborhood site and there is a massive fire. It started out as a controlled fire that got totally out of control. It was really windy that day and he blew around and jumped.

It jumped across a six lane freeway and took out a business. So we load up the wood and race home. But got stopped our back roads were closed. had to go back north and take the freeway home. The freeway was Black, and smoky and dark. Something out of a nightmare. We got to our main road and people were stopping us from going home. We finally get home and gather the kids and pets and leave. Although I forgot one animal. So hubby had the kids and the bulk of the pets, he went onto my sisters house and I turned around. As I arrived home the police were there telling my neighbors they had to leave NOW. I got the cat and left.

We sat at my sisters house for hours. Watching a plane drop fire retardant. For hours he dropped fire retardant, we now know he was dropping it on a 500 acre wooded area. The road that we were stopped on and had to turn around, once it opened and we could use it, was just red. The amount of fire retardant was just WOW. Still today it's red on that road.

We came so close to loosing our house that day. The fire fighters stopped the fire inches from our neighbors old wooden fence. If that fence would have gone our whole block would have been gone, because they were on one side of the fence, they were not on our side of the fence. The neighbors in front of us they stopped it before it hit their garage, if that would have continued it would have jumped our road and took out our house. So we almost got hit a few different ways. As we were playing clean up, we found ashes everywhere. We got lucky, because ashes jumped 6 lanes of freeway and took out homes and a business, but landed in our back yard and our yard didn't go up.

The irony of that day. We have been spending the summer building sheds. We got the garden shed all done, we got our storage shed all done, and we were in the process of putting up shed three. This is our emergency shed. So if we get ten feet of snow and loose power for days we will be ok. If we have an earthquake, we will be ok. So now next spring I will be buying a couple of hoses to put out there in the shed. One of the big things I didn't know, because of our location, the fire fighters were going around to houses and taking hoses and using our water. Well not ours, they took our hose. Well until they cut the power and we had no water. But if this ever happens again, toss the hoses in to the front yard before leaving.

We spent days without power, days without internet. As they were replacing power poles we would have to live without power for 1-2 days a week. We still have spotty internet. Heard the powers above are debating if we get a new main road. So internet has not dug up wires to replace. So we are hooked into this box thing. We were hooked to a truck for the longest time. Although one kick of this box and we all loose internet.

A very eye opening day. Wouldn't it be something to loose the house, but have a dishwasher delivered two weeks later?

We started school. A bit late. But we are hitting it now. It's going well. We lost our outside cat this summer. He just came in and basically told us it was time and within a few days left us. We haven't had an new animals in over two years. So put it out there we were ready for a new cat. Well we were answered and received two. One needs special love and attention. As she has kidney disease. We give her fluids every other day. Which involves needles and a bag and someone holding her and someone poking her and someone holding the bag. But we've done it twice now and it's going well.

The garden really sucked this year. But hoping for better next year. We are building a green house. Not just any green house, it's a massive 10 x 20 green house. It will have room for ten billion starts. I plan on hanging cherry tomatoes in there. We added two very large tomato beds this year. We also added a massive garlic bed. So I will be diving back into gardening and doing a lot of it. We went light in case we moved, well plus we had a ton going on.

We've had birthday's, I have a 14 years old with massive amounts of hair. And we won't talk about the smell. Which I hope won't get any worse. We did a playroom make over. It was awesome. Tons of floor space now. I did a built in couch because it's a size you would never ever find. tables along the wall are actually closet doors. Totally re-organized the Lego pieces.

As we are getting ready to add on some bedrooms I will be re-doing Cole's room. It will be a massive remodel as the closet is coming out. Lots of table space and shelves. Just hard to do at the moment because we have crap everywhere. So can't wait for more space. My crafting stuff is in the living room, well some of it. I put away the crafting stuff for a long while, but had the itching so bad to craft so I took over the living room. Tuckers stuff is boxed up in his room, Ethan's stuff is half here and half there. We are just out of space.

So it's been a year. A lot has gone on. A lot more coming up. I will try to get back to the blog. I have Tucker in the kitchen for school. So some interesting stuff is coming out of the kitchen. Need to get the recipes up. Because frankly I loose them and have to look here for them. HA!

  

Cole at Brickcon

Apple trees were not that great this year.

This is a massive minecraft quilt for when I re-do Cole's bedroom.

The baby. Buddy, just the love of our lives.

Where did 2016 Go?

So apparently there is a "New Year" right around the corner?

What?

So it left me thinking where did 2016 go? Well it went to hospital trips, and rehab trips, and lots of running around, and lots of rushing around here to get things done. Had a very rotten garden season, a lot of it was because of weather. As it was the talk of the town, everyone got tomatoes late. Well those who waited, my neighbor didn't. Cracked me up when I was sinking in Tomatoes and she was well, hum Not.

Well I make goals. Things I want to get done for the year. I don't use the R word.

I honestly would love things to settle down. Way too many balls in the air for us. I would finally like to make a decision on if we are moving or not. And move or well not. Until this decision is made I don't know if I will have a garden or not.

And I am so itching for a garden right now. Getting the seed catalogs in right now, sure are not helping.

If we are staying and expanding, I want to totally redo my garden area.

But if we are moving I need to design and put in a new garden area.

We could stay here on our tiny 1/2 acre and expand. We are now bursting at the seams of this house. So we need to do something. And this is the year to decide something. Every time in the past we sat down to look at houses and then planned an outing, we could get a call one of the in laws were in the hospital. So postpone things for awhile and get back to it months later, and then it happened again and again and again.

I've been researching the family history. We have our line traced clear back so that isn't the issue. The part I'm more researching, are the aunts and uncles and extended family members. And their photos and stories. I have ten tons of stuff printed, and as I print I try to keep it all organized and labeled. Who are we connected to, we are actually connected to a famous actor which is kinda cool. Do you think we can get him to come to the next family reunion?????

Oh I need to start planning the next family reunion.

I need to get the photos from the last reunion printed and that book done.

Need to get back on bone broth. That stuff really helps with my pain. I have horrible side pain. It helps so I can now go days without the pain. So I have a new pot brewing I started today. Had to stop months ago because there was no time to go and buy bones, there is a special shop down south I hit.

I worry about the future with the upcoming job loss. I hope we can figure out something.

I just want things to settle down. I want peace. Calm. I want my husband to stop falling out of trucks.

I think once we get the big decision made everything else will fall into place. Just hope we can figure it all out. I hate being in the in-known.

Merry Christmas...Your Fired

Ok so it didn't come out like that, but it's what the company means. My husband was told within the next ten years his job will be gone. As the place he is working for will now become 90% food and a very small home department. Over the next ten years the stores as they are remodeled will go into the new store model. And in the next ten years they will all be changed over. New stores going up will be with the new model.

So to me this makes no sense. As I like going there and getting food and home items. So I as one think this is one big mistake. But who I'm I right? Oh right a shopper. I'm going to miss their garden department.

So this year alone with this company we have taken a big pay cut. We no longer receive holiday pay. And now we need to make plans on what to do when that times comes?

What I wouldn't give for him to find a job that he actually likes, that pays ok and doesn't jerk you around as a person.

So here is to an in-certain future!.

Christmas

The before 

So many Lego's so little time.

This actually showed up like this, Amazon apparently forgot the box???? Boy did they get a phone call! Luckily our mail lady knew I was buying Christmas and she snuck it to me without Tucker seeing.

Oops, didn't see the naked child before the happy boy? He does have bottoms on.

To the after.

Christmas Lights

Didn't do a lot this year, although did a bit more then last year. New this year are the trees. I actually like the trees. The 6 smaller trees are tomato cages turned upside down and covered in lights. The big tree, is actually our very old inside Christmas tree. We got this tree the year Ethan was born, we went to take it out of the box this year and it came out in pieces. We were about to get out the super glue to attempt to patch it when we were gifted our in laws old tree. So we stuck our tree outside and covered it with lights. We patched up the candy canes and put those up. These are made from pvc 4 inch pipe. Standing a tall 8? feet tall.

Next year I would love to learn how to make presents to have them sitting out there among the trees. We shall see?

Barbie Christmas Clothes

So I have this niece who likes Barbie, I know as a young girl I would have LOVED hand made Barbie clothes. So of course I'm going to do this for her. But with my month utterly nuts, I got such a late start and an early finish. As my sister texted, well be over in an hour. CRAP. I have more dresses planned and such, but oh well. The two dresses up above are my own design. It started out as a skirt I was thinking of but, couldn't get the waist right, so I hiked it up and added trim and it worked.

Toying with doing more of these and selling them. Yeah, toying. The issue is time, But I'm hoping as life starts to calm down a bit, I can just sit and play? But my focus now is to find calm in my life and somehow muster through Christmas. Christmas spirit is something I do not have.

Catching Our Breath

So feel like it will take months to catch our breath. These last few months of one thing after another. So many things were put on the back burner. Well I'm starting to move a few of those things slowly to the front burner. Today I got all my bags I'm giving for gifts all sewed and wrapped. I had so many bags in different processes of getting done.

Soon the Barbie sewing will happen.

I have a house that is an utter mess. I need to wrap my head around Christmas. I can forget cards again this year. Sigh. I have a garden to think about and plan or not plan. Just so many things and so little time.

So one thing that was or will be soon moved to the front burner is our savings. Or well lack of it. When hubby got hurt I quickly pulled money out of savings and into checking and just went light on life, but mortgage and bills have to be paid. But we were told that L&I would kick in and we would be ok. HUH. We were paid 200 dollars for 13 days of work missed. Like really? Now we make squat, but that is more then squat. Or well less then squat, depends on how you look at something I guess.

So put that 200 into savings and I'm trying to attempt to get back on track. Except we got hit with a very high SS tax payment this week? Hubby is asking work about it because we have never paid that much in SS taxes? So our food money was really tight this week and not a spare cent to hit savings. It's always something.

So I need to rebuild savings and not just rebuild it. But really build it up. We got lucky this time around that hubby was only out two weeks. Next time could be worse?

But got me thinking it's hard for us to save. Like really hard. But got thinking what if I thought of it like a debt? We would hammer it down until it was nothing. What if I take a number like 5k and just throw every cent at it until it was down to nothing. Although in turn not down to nothing, but up to 5k?

So I think I will get a notebook and pick a number and record every penny until we are down to zero. At the same time I am going to attempt to take about 5-10 out of food budget every week and pay down the house. It won't be a lot I know. but every penny will help us get ahead.

We have got to get back on track. So after Christmas watch out because I'm bringing out the hammer.

*If anyone has any Christmas dust to spare I could use some, really, really not in the Christmas spirit around here that is for sure. Like I want to pack it all up and take down lights and yeah. I just need a really good and calm 2017. Do you think Santa will bring me one?*

Snow Day

It's dumping snow right now. We are sitting at about 3 inches and counting.

ARGGGGGGG

So November 13th happened. My husband fell out of a truck and I knew he couldn't work for a few days. (It ended up being two weeks) I assumed he would get sick pay or something. But I went ahead and moved the money we were saving for the second car, over to savings. Just in case. Well then we got word we are not getting sick pay, but L&I pay for the missing days.

Hum, well ok I can use that money as we need and then put that check back into savings and all should be well.

NOT.

Got the check today. We are getting paid 200 dollars for two weeks of work missed. Hum really? 200 dollars for two weeks? Something doesn't add up there.

So math wise I'm out of savings over 400 plus dollars. Which I guess I will have to let go and start saving all over again.

The problem is our lives are up in the air. So even the thought of trying to save is a hard thought right now. I still have Christmas to finish up. My budget is off, we have gas for the second car to buy, that I need to fold into the budget. Our new second car needs an oil change. Just stuff. nothing like being hit with stuff.  I just need to sit down and work hard on the numbers.

I am grateful my husband is back at work and this next payday should be a full one. It just happens to fall on our hard week. We have one really hard week a month. Sometimes two.

But I really need to sit down and work hard on numbers because having that savings, even though it was ear marked for something else did really help. It allowed me not to have a panic attack well I was up helping my mil during her recovery and such. So my next year that will be the main focus I think. Not only rebuilding what I lost, but have a fully funded emergency fund.

Need to sit down and figure out what number a fully funded emergency fund is and then how to get there.

Here's to hoping that next year I can say emergency funds ROCK?????

Sigh

Like really 200 dollars for two weeks? Stunned.

I don't know how to start this post

So we all have that day in our heads. It's the day the bottom fell out of our world and things were never again the same. So now you have to adjust and find a new normal. And that is hard because I hate change period. My day come in November.

So with my mil's stroke (?) we assumed weeks if not months of rehab. I assumed 1-3 trips a week up to rehab. I expected laundry duty. I expected us as a family to come together in a month or so and talk, will there be more rehab? is she ok to go home with 24 hour care? does she want to think about different living arrangements?

What I didn't expect was the call I got last Friday, saying she joined her husband up in heaven that morning. She was a fighter and I fully expected months and months of work ahead of her/us. I expected a few more years with her.

So in such a short amount of time these boys lost two Grand parents. This one was hard on the boys. We were able to prep them with Pops, but because we didn't see it coming with Grandma so we didn't prep them. We didn't take them up to say good bye. We did go up for a visit on Thanksgiving.

So now my world is in chaos, I'm sure in time things will settle down. I just hate having so much up in the air. We have a house to clear and a house to sell and an estate to settle. It doesn't fall on me, but I'm doing what I can to help. I cleared my husband's schedule so he can go all over town with his sister coming up. And I will be there to help pack the house. I went in all ready and cleaned out the fridge because the garbage can is so tiny it will take some time to fully clear the house of food. I did all the laundry I could find so we can do nothing but sort coming up. I know the little things will help.

Just weird being in their house. You fully expect my mil to come walking down the hall. You expect her to walk her outside to your car because she has to check the mail. I have plans to make tater tots tomorrow, she ALWAYS calls when I'm up to my elbows in potatoes. And it takes a minute to not only answer but put her on speaker because my hands are covered in potatoes, but kid you not she always calls during that time.

So this year has just sucked for us in so many ways. I feel like this year I have climbed a mountain I'm hoping I'm over the top and on my way down, because If I have to keep climbing I may not make it. It's been a tough year. But it's time for a break. I just hope next year is calmer. I hope it's shorter. I hope it's quiet and boring. I hope to find time to just sit in the garden. Although I was planning a small garden because I assumed I was to spend time away from home helping my mil. So I need to think now.

Peace. Just need some Peace and smooth days ahead right now.

Let's Talk About Christmas

So lets talk about Christmas shall we. Let's get real about Christmas. Let's get really real about Christmas.

So I have a mother that SUCKS at giving presents, she has from day one. Tell ya socks are not Christmas presents a child can get excited over. After how many years of her Christmases I find it very hard to get excited about Christmas.

And now that it's about the kids, she still SUCKS at giving gifts. Although her gift giving has changed. She now lives at Wal Mart and loves to shop their Clearance. The odd things my kids have gotten. You just roll your eyes and wonder what the hell this lady was thinking. A year or two ago, I had one child in tears because he opened all her gifts and yeah, everything then went into the goodwill box.

We also live in a really small house, so loads of gifts just won't fly here.

So about 20 plus years ago at a Thanksgiving my Aunt Marci (yes really two Marcie's in the house) said something that really got me thinking. She said no one gives practical gifts. Like TP and paper towels. So I thought and it made sense. So guess what she got that year for Christmas? I got the biggest box I could find, I filled with all sorts of things like TP and paper towels, new kitchen towels. Kleenex. Completely shocked everyone that year and she LOVED it.

So the next year my Grandma took over and got everyone Costco TP, that tree that year, oh boy, big packages of TP under the tree. She passed and my mother did it about once and then went back to her old ways of Wal Mart clearance. Sigh. one year I got a red plastic wine bucket and a very ugly Christmas blanket. Like really?

Do you all have that one person that just sucks at giving gifts? It's like giving a gift card for coffee to someone who doesn't drink coffee? What the hell do I do with them? I finally found someone to take my stack off my hands.

So in thinking, I like to think about the person and find something that fits them. More then often I think do they have a need over a want? When someone needs something, a gift card for coffee isn't going to make someone excited. I just read about a lady, she does very well and doesn't want anything from her family. But she goes to the store and loads up on meat and takes it to her family and fills their freezers. After that takes them to fill up on pantry items. It feds them for 3-6 months and takes a load off their mind. Does someone need a hand up, a worry off their mind verses an ugly shirt?

Could someone use a big box of TP? What about the gf person in your life? Flour is pricey, could they use a big box/bag of something. Would a gas card help with a worry?

I'm not one that believes in black Fridays, or what ever Saturday is, or cyber Monday. I don't believe in spending gobs of money, well one I don't have gobs of money. I do believe in planning as early as one can. Here is my thinking, let's take canning for example. If lets say my mother on her weekly trips to Wal Mart. If she were to get 2 box of canning lids per week, one small, one Large. It would costs about 3 bucks a week. If she did that for 52 weeks. And if someone were to hand me 104 boxes of canning lids how excited I would be. And it only costs her 3 dollars a week. So think about that, can you break down your gift so it costs a little every week.

With the kids, so happy I started so early this year. We made their lego list long in advance. It allows me to saving 10 plus a week and get a set here and one there. All they are getting is Lego's.

So I'm asking you to think about the person, truly think about them before going out and spending money on something they do not need or want.

OH let me leave you with a story. So a few years back, don't even know how long. we were living without heat. We had a space heater and we were trying hard to save for another one before getting the house heater replaced. But saving for that was going to take a long time. So Christmas comes and we are cold, it doesn't dawn on my mother that we need heat or money for the heater or anything. We got Wal Mart crap that year. So we loaded in the car and took back the cart load of crap. I was grilled by the check out lady and an officer. But we got back enough money to buy a space heater. That ended up saving us that winter. It wasn't until the next winter rolled around. I made a gamble, I rarely do that unless I know it's a sure thing. Well it paid off and we got a check and oh the crying I did, after a call to think the lady, told her she just bought us a house heater., we ran up and bought a brand new house heater. Which in turns is a lot cheaper then running space heaters.

So think about the person you are giving the gift too. Don't go into debt, it's not worth it. Challenge yourself to do Christmas without debt. If you truly can't afford it, just say sorry I can't do it this year, or challenge yourself can you trade something and barter for your gifts. Can you give of yourself? There is so much you can do and give of yourself without racking up debt. And can you step away from the Wal Mart clearance so that my mother has some crap to buy.

A puddle

So today I found my self tonight on the floor in a puddle crying. I think the stress from the last two weeks finally hit. I started to think about the money part of this. If something happens between now and then the L&I checks come in we might not make it.

Every new day we are hit with something, it may not be big, but when there is no good coming into a life the hits add up. Like yesterday I wanted to start getting Christmas out and I found this BIG guy. Yes, the picture is blurry, I was running for my life. We left the shed open in hopes he would leave, but we finally had to shoot him.

I think about my mil and I know she is frustrated and just wants to get up and go on with her schedule. But her whole life changed on the 13th. That lady doesn't know how to slow down and let her body rest and recover.

I think about my sil. She took over mil's bills, and all her medical. And I know she worries being so far away from mil.

I worry, but I'm only 30 minutes away. But I (we) have fallen so far behind on life as it is. I have two in the midst of getting braces. I have to make eye appointments but have to keep putting it off. Hell I keep putting so much off. On the other hand, I (we) can't do stuff for mil, she needs to do everything for herself. I can't sit there and baby sit.

Then you worry about the future. In a way I wish our house was bigger, would just be easy to move her in and bring PT and OT and such here daily. But my house is small and noisy and very lived in. As in not clean and tidy. Our floors are cleaned daily and dishes done daily and such, but we live in a small house and not a place for everything. On the flip side, she wouldn't want to live here, she likes her town, she has loads of friends and likes to be close to everything.

Then you have the medical fight. I found out today my mil was only approved until today for rehab. She won't be kicked out that isn't the problem. But I feel for my sil who has to call and do more appeals and work with rehab and getting her approved for another two weeks plus. It's almost like a second job with all the calls and things you have to organize. There isn't anything I can do much to help.

I know down the road I will have my turn, as my parents get older daily. At one point since I'm the oldest I'll have to go in and take over their bills and deal with their medical . I'm scared to death on what I will walk into with them. And since my mother and I rarely talk I have no idea what to expect there.

***making a note here or a what ever. In my family (family line) it has always been the oldest that goes in and takes care of the parents. I guess I never thought of anything different. Sigh. ***When something is up with a family member you know to call the oldest. **** IDK I wonder how things work in different families. I see people at rehab that you never see family come and visit. You see them go into a care meeting with no one, and you wonder. Do they really have no one, or does their family really not care? Always something going through my mind these days****End of note***

Then I think what would I consider as good news? And it utterly stumps me. Maybe a week of calm? A week of peace? A week without any major worries? IDK I'm stumped.

Christmas is coming and the boys want to set up today. Well ok they wanted to set up last month. They are so excited and I'm freaking out, I still have some pricey lego sets to get and I don't know if that is happening. They certainly deserve a good Christmas for all they have put up with this year. Although teaching them how to roll with life that is for sure. They have spent a lot of time alone since the 13th. We fell behind on school since the 13th. They have been doing dishes by hand since the 13th.  

What I wouldn't give for some shocking good news. Just  WOW good news. News that makes you smile for a week no matter what hits you good news.

But I will wake up tomorrow and I will figure out how to pay for food and gas this week, and I will run in and check on mil and do her laundry and hang her Christmas lights. I will spend the afternoon painting next door, trying to wrap that up sooner then later. And I will try and roll with what we get hit with tomorrow.

When It Rains It Pours

Tell ya, the next person that says that to me is going to be slapped! It's not pouring it's DUMPING. Tell ya this has been the year for dumping, you start to recover from the current dump and BOOM you are hit again and again and again.

So here was my November the 13th. I get a call at 1:20 pm from hubby, he fell out of a truck and landed hard and he HURTS. But he thinks he can drive home, we only have one car, so either he walks or drives? So he makes it home and one look from him and up we go to urgent care for x-rays.

2 freaking hours later. Nothing is broken you are on light duty go home. So run that by work and he is taking the next day off and do all that paperwork. Finally long after dinner head home.

Although I'm driving those back roads and guess what comes at me? A Deer, I saw him and hit my breaks, but the deer and I know what is coming. I look and I have a ditch so good bye deer, I'm not going in a ditch. I was able to stop enough and slant my van that we just brushed each other, he turned and ran back and I have no damage. Thank God. So get down that road and go across a bridge and I hear popping. Oh crap my tires are going. But I keep going? OH wait it's Sunday the game is on and the idiot in the area likes to shoot off fire works.

So get home and start to calm down and get hubby on a heating pad. And we get a call. CRAP before hubby was off the phone I was in the van heading north. My mil was being rushed to the ER. 5 hours later she was told it was arthritis and go home. Hum no? she is slurring her words, her left side is weak. she can't stand on her own. But yet according to the doctor it wasn't a heart attach or a stroke. 

So they admitted her and I went home. More tests and such and she was done, she wanted to be moved to the rehab place. Oh Thursday I moved her over. About that time we found out the doctor didn't do a head CT to check for a stroke. One assumes if you say no stroke you have done a test for a stroke?

So hubby ended up being down for about two weeks. He tried one day to go back and lasted about 4 hours. But he was done and in pain and wanted to go back to the ER. I wanted to call him a baby, try labor my dear. So the ER doctor said. there is nothing I can do, it hurts, now you have to go to PT since this is your second trip here. LOVELY.

PT places are two weeks out. Finally found one that could see him sooner then later. Got him into PT on Wednesday and by Friday he was back to work. Yes, he got the joy of working Black Friday. But he is back to work! So two weeks without a pay check. LOVELY. yes it's L & I pay, but I've never done L & I and have no idea when or if we will see a check? And for how much? We will be ok barely, we are using the money we had set aside for the second car. But on the other hand I don't use as much gas as I've used in the last two weeks. So at some point that money will run out.

Went up every day if not twice a day when mil was in the hospital. That is a 30 minute trip just up. Her first week in rehab has been a bumpy ride. And many trips up and back. One day kid you not, three trips to town and back. Although she has turned a corner now and is doing great and we as family can back off. She has to do the work, we can't do it for her. So I went up today and probably won't be back until mid- week to pick up laundry and to see if she has any needs. Today she wanted to re-learn how to use her cell phone. So we did that.

Strokes are hard. We got lucky, her mind is all there and she can talk, but she is very week and is learning how to do things again. Been very frustrating I'm sure. Here she was doing great, walking 2 miles a day and such. and BOOM. We are going to move you back in life. She can recover.

So I'm trying to finish up next door, they wanted it done by Thanksgiving. Not happening. But they understand. I'm working on Christmas. Swags slacked off with me not being home. So finishing up Christmas for the boys is going to be really hard. Luckily we started early, but the finishing will be hard.  

You add in the house. Oh the house. So every appliance is on life support around here. At one point all four were down at once. So we got the fridge working again. We tore it apart, we found the fan we fixed it, we somehow put it all back together it's still working. Went and got the part for the store. We had a fire LOVELY and the part where you put in the burner was burnt out. We got the part before someone got hurt. So onto the dishwasher, I've been trying to figure it out. But hell with the two weeks I had I finally gave in, had hubby call the place where we bought it, It's under warranty, so they will be here next week. And now the microwave. oh it works, I just have parts all over the house. Can we say duct tape?

Yesterday was the first day of me sleeping. Just sleeping, and not waking up to an alarm clock, not waking up at 6 or 7am and my mind is going worrying about my mil.

But I'm tired, it's been a hell of a year. What I wouldn't give for some good news? Some really good news? What I wouldn't give for a family that I could call and say hay, I need help can you come and spend a few hours with the boys? My mom is hooked on pain drugs and drinking, don't want that around the boys. My dad, nope, my sister, hum no.

Seriously I'm ready for a good cry and some good news.

The photo above is a bees nest we had to kill this past summer. It was HUGE.

My Boys

My Boys In Their Fancy Clothes.

Yes, I'm still here: New Bags

Yep, I get the award for sucking at blogging this year. In all fairness. It has been utter chaos around here. We had a family emergency, which lead to a family death. Which lead to me rushing to get new "fancy" clothes for the kids, I made new ties and had to go hunting for new pants and shirts because they have out-grown their old fancy clothes. Dang the prices at goodwill these days for clothes!

Hubby has a horrible work schedule. Right now finishing up a week of 10-7's so he isn't here to help with school and by the time he gets home he is just done. I have to make him dinner, put the kids to bed and then he crashes. Leaving me to do EVERYTHING.

I'm doing school, I'm trying to close down a garden, I'm still canning. And then things I have needed hubby to do, he isn't doing so I have to break down and do them. Goats needed a new hay bin. got to the point it couldn't wait a second longer. So I made a hay bin this week. I go all day long and that doesn't include the freaking neighbor.

Oh the neighbor lets talk about a neighbor. She hired these guys who do not speak English to add a room. Totally illegal, it's so illegal, that her insurance caught wind of it, came out to see it and then dropped her. So illegal that the county has been out, but so far no note from them???? So we pointed out some things, like not having a flat roof in WA state?  She finally had the guys stop and wants us to finish up the room. ARG. but we need the money right, We just don't have 5 minutes to rub together. So that has been all me. Now that I'm onto sheet rock you really see the mistakes that have been made. But because of their mistakes my job will look like crap, which pisses me off. You tell me you can't come off a square surface like a house and not make everything square? The 2 x 4's going up, they are all different sizes, the beam is so in the wrong spot. So it's taking us a long time to hang drywall because it takes like an hour to measure and cut out a board/section. Although should be done with drywall on Thursday, go into mudding and taping, Let that dry over the weekend and then I'm on my own again, painting and putting in the floor. And being done and telling her no more until well after the first of the year if that.

Seriously why do people think I do nothing but sit on my butt all day? By the time I finally get the garden closed it will be time to re-open it again. Carrots should have been canned months ago, but were finally pulled today. I still have pumpkin to can. Our stove is dying. One burner has burnt out, at the connection, so we are down to three burners. that is so very hard to work with when you are canning.

I have so much sewing and researching to do. The piles and piles of research, that doesn't include the binders that some of the piles have finally made it into.

Some of my sewing, we needed new grocery bags. So very badly. The straps are all broken off and holes and yeah I'm done and I'm not buying anymore. So I designed a bag, it was ok, re-designed it, and love it and has made it many times over. It's not an easy bag to make, as there are three layers to make it really study. But it's so worth it in the end.

And then you add in the stress of life? Ethan starts his appointments next week, they run for a few weeks, so a lot of running him back and fourth for the dentist and braces and such. I made those appointments for after the election because if someone wins I loose insurance and I will just cancel those appointments. Then we sit down and try and figure out how to save for two kids and braces?

I've been using the money from working next door to buy meat. I just picked up 80 pounds of chicken, and we got all that processed and into the freezer in one day. We've had a sick goat, must have just been a stomach ache because she is fine now, but the joy of chasing this thing down. And then I finally got pepto and tums and since I had her I wormed her. The next day she was fine and eating again. So ok then. Thought for sure it was her time, but I guess not? But they are all about 11 years old so it's a matter of time anyway.

The stove, I'm trying to drag it along, but how long before it's just toast. I think my dryer is going? It seems to run for a very long time these days. Need to look into that. Our toilet is still leaking need to find money to fix that. We have a list a mile long of stuff to fix and do and nothing is getting done.

Need to process onions, need to plant garlic. Need to do this and this and that. ARGGGGG

Yeah, so I suck at blogging right now.

Brickcon 2016

So the boys dragged me to Brickcon 2016 which is in Seattle. About a 90 minute drive for us. Considering it was Seattle, we basically got right in and right out and home, No big back ups, just crazy drivers.

Kids went around tables seeing everything and I took photos as I went. Then we spent time buying, Ethan saved a LOT of money for this, actually more then we did.

They are counting the days until they can go back. Sigh.