Good Stuff

Wow, have we had a few days of good news! Tim got hired last week to work where I work. That's fabulous and we'll share a ride and split the fuel cost. This means me leaving earlier in the mornings when he's on 10 hours, but it's worth it to cut my fuel in half. I can always have some computer time at my desk instead of in the recliner at home. LOL

Kevin had a few job prospects that he was working on. O'Reilly was one of them, and we kept wondering why they wouldn't call. They would say, "Call us in a few days." He would call and they would say, "We'll call you at the beginning of next week." I was getting frustrated. I should have just shut up and let it happen, though. Why?

He got a call yesterday from the temp place that hires for the place my Dad works. They asked him to do the drug test today and start tomorrow! WooHoo! This is steadier work and more $$ than O'Reilly by quite a bit. If all goes well, the job will hire him full-time after he does his stint with the temp service. Right now, he's on days, but they may switch him to 2nd shift later. If they do, he can ride with Dad and Dad's neighbor and split fuel with them.

Sweet!

Brooke is coming up this weekend and bringing Tim's dog. He'll be happy to have his dog here. He'll be happy to see his mom, too. Don't get me wrong. LOL I'm excited to see Brooke and hang out a bit, even though it will be a short visit.

Tim had to be in at 6 this morning, so we left at 10 til 5. I knew we could leave at 5 and be fine, but better safe than sorry, right? Well, the traffic was so light at that hour that we got here in 40 minutes! Holy Cow! That's at least 15 minutes faster than usual. Good to know. We won't leave before 5 any more. He won't always start at 6, either, so I won't have to get up at 4 every day. Thank goodness.

Anyway, we went from a 1-income house to a 3-income house in just a few short days. I just keep walking around smiling. Things are looking up! There is so much to be happy and thankful for. Now I think I'd better start getting some things done. I'm here, so I may as well start working!

It's a Boy!

Wow, it's dusty in here and there are cobwebs in the corners. Poor neglected blog. I've been crazy busy, but mostly in a good way. Last weekend was our party in OH, and we had a ball. I'm just now starting to feel normal (we got home Sunday evening) but it was worth it. Smokin' Hot Neon gained 1300 miles!

Kevin's unemployment ran out 2.5 weeks ago, and we were scared. With help again from Dad, which will be repaid today, we made it through, and the unemployment has been reinstated. It seems that things have to be edge-of-your-seat around here, but we keep pulling through. Kevin had an interview yesterday, so keep your fingers crossed.

Since Brooke and Tim were here for the party over the weekend, we kept Tim. He'll start interviewing and find a job to get established before his mom comes up. He's pretty awesome. His mom has a lot of nicknames for him, so I felt he needed one here. I tried T-dawg, but everyone laughs at me when I say it. Whatever.

Tim is 20 and quiet and helpful and respectful and fun. Funny as heck, too, like his mom. He's offered a lot of entertainment in the few days he's been here. The girls are happy that he has guitar hero, too. Bonus! As the three returning Texans were leaving Monday morning to head home, Brooke sent Kevin a text that said, "Congratulations, it's a boy!" Too funny.

Today, the girls start back to school. Monica was up and showered when I went to wake them. Natalie? Not so much. She's working on it, though. OH! She just came upstairs. I guess they'll get ready on time after all. Kevin's awake now, too, so I guess I can head to work. I was worried they wouldn't get up in time to get ready for school.

Ciao'!

A Lot of Stuff

There are things going on. 90% of them are fabulous. It's awesome. Friends, parties, road trips and such. All good things.

There are also bad things. Stress on loved ones that shouldn't exist. Life is good. They need to respect this lady like WE do. I hope and pray for nothing but the best for her. The rest of you? Whatev.

You don't matter. She does. I'm just sayin'.

Busy week

Tonight was freshman orientation (Monica) and 7th grade orientation (Natalie.) I missed both. I miss a lot of things. I guess this is a reason to be glad that Kevin is home right now. They have someone at home to take care of this while I work.

Tonight, a late customer kept me a bit after 5. A couple of wrecks on the interstate later, and I knew I'd miss being on time. I called both girls to see how upset they'd be. They were WAY more interested in seeing old friends than in what parent attended. Cool. Not the "bad mom" this time.

I came home, they were gone. I laid out what I'd fix for dinner (since they'd get home at 8, starving) and had an hour to use to my advantage. I vacuumed out my car, and then washed it. Money saved. About the time I was finishing, the family pulled into the drive. ACK! I haven't started dinner yet!

Turns out, they forgot the supplies that they wanted to put in lockers, and Dad brought them home to get them. PHEW! They left again, I finished the car, and then I started dinner. As it finished simmering, they got home. Perfect timing.

In 48 hours, I'll have a house full of family and TX friends. Friday, we leave for OH. Wow, what a week. Color me STOKED!

Birthdays, Dead Birds, and Road Trips

What a week, and the next one is going to be even crazier. Awesome, but crazy. I can't believe how little I've been online.

Kevin's birthday was Wednesday. He requested carrot cake, so we did that. He's not getting his gift until tomorrow, since it needed a ride from Carthage. It's riding with his Mom, who will be here (with his grandma) tomorrow. We both looked for this gift and she found it at a better price than I could come up with in KC.

Thursday, the fledgling swallows on the West side of the house left home too early. The cat got four of them, and one was hopping around. The girls kept moving it under the bushes and hiding it from the cat. At one point, Natalie went out and saw that the cat had gotten it. When she went to move it, it moved a bit, so she knew it was alive.

It was roughed up quite a bit and panting hard, so we brought it in and after about an hour, it started perking up. It ate a bit, lived through the night, and even pooped once, so we had hope. Friday morning, he was tweeting up a storm and still eating well and giving us hope. Friday afternoon, he just stopped breathing. They buried him under the tree in the back yard. Natalie is sad about it, but I'm glad she tried.

We have Kameron for the weekend, and Brett came to stay, too. She's napping now, as is most of the house. Kevin is changing oil in the vehicles and I'm watching some LAME movies. Seriously, they are bad.

We have a trip to OH to make next weekend, so we're staying home and not spending any money or fuel this weekend. Gotta be tight wads, even more than usual. It's worth it, though. I am stoked for this upcoming week.

Have a great weekend!

WHAT a Tuesday

Work was crazy busy, but I kicked butt and took names. I got it all accomplished, and then some. Felt good to not leave work wondering if something wasn't done.

Kevin's unemployment had stopped about 4 weeks ago. Understand that we can NOT afford to live here on only my income. There was a letter on Friday that he would get it again, including what he's missed. We were squeaking by, barely, and finally had to ask my folks for a bit of help this past weekend. Gotta love it when parents can help. (this will come into play again in another paragraph or two.) Kevin's back pay kicked in today.

Jon (my stepson) and his girlfriend came up and took Monica to Van's Warped Tour. Kevin bought their tickets in February, when things were sunnier. Monica's wanted to go forever, and she had her chance. They all had a ball, and she participated in her first mosh pit! ACK! Jon is a tall and muscular dude, so he had her under his wing. Still, I'm glad I didn't know until it was over. LOL

Today, I went to work and the others rested up, waking kind of late and recovering. Jon and Lindsey left this afternoon to head home. Before too long, I got a call from Kevin. Apparently, they're car was acting up something horrible, and they were too late for a mechanic. Also, they're pretty broke from young life and driving 150 miles to attend a concert.

Kevin drove the hour plus to Harrisonville, and made arrangements for the car to be repaired tomorrow morning. The guy even let them buy their own power steering pump instead of paying a mark-up.

Now, they're all here. We've had dinner and everyone is happy for the time being. The catch is, we're buying a power steering pump and labor for them. They HAVE to get home. They have jobs and they can't afford to do it. My folks help me, I help my kids. It's how it works.

Meanwhile, life keeps churning on, in the 102 degree heat, and we're getting by. What else can you do, other than just get by? We have a trip planned a week from Friday, and I'm really hoping nothing messes it up. I HAVE to go. Not because I HAVE to, but because I WANT to! LOL Here's hoping!