Random things

So, it's been a few weeks. What have I been doing? Oh, everything and nothing.

I still mourn my cat. I look for her in her usual places, out of habit. But less and less. I found a clump of her fur and put it in a baggy. It made me cry. I looked online at all of the cats on a local shelters pages, but decided it was too soon. However, I miss having a lap cat. Someday.

The kids are being kids. Jason goes to his grandmother's for tutoring, trying to get ready for second grade. The move really put him behind in school, and although we knew he was struggling a little, we didn't realize how much. Which made me angry at the school and angry at myself, feeling like a failure as a mom. The very hard truth is, I don't like teaching my son. The mother-son dynamic makes it very hard for me to be patient. So, the job is better left to a teacher, for now anyway.

And I have enough on my plate- trust me. I have been working per diem, which is basically on an as needed basis. Well, God finally answered my prayers, and I will convert to a part-time position in about 2 weeks- read benefits!!- but that changes my work schedule. I will work 2 twelve hour shifts a week, whether or not hubby is in town or not. Which begs the question- what about daycare??? Well, of course, that is for me to figure out. It means before and after care for Jason, all day care for Adam. And then there's the problem of the hours- NOTHING is open at 6 in the morning, when I need to leave. And the same for the evening. I won't pick them up until about 7:30-8. The stress is killing me. it's no wonder my IBS is so bad right now.

And work- love the job, but the assignments are heavy. And, being new, I am still constantly asking how to do things, you know, the 6 month curve.. Oh, and one of my patients coded and died the other day. Yeah, my third or fourth shift off orientation.... I had lots of help, and that the nature of the business, but seriously... can I just catch a break?

Don't even get me started on the myriad of other things- the hen that quit laying, the rotted boards of the porch, including a footer, husband out of town for two weeks at a time, the lawn mower broke down for the third time this summer...

BUT, there have been good things. My mom, sister Christine, her boys and my niece just came for a nice visit. We cleaned up, took boxes to the attic, and painted the laundry room. We spend a glorious day at my in-laws place on Taylor Pond, parked on the dock.

We have been spending time with our new friends the Hill's. Hanging out, bbq-ing, roasting marshmallows. J. took Jason out fishing and swimming all day yesterday. Both boys got to ride their bikes a lot- they have pavement over there. LOL.

My brother-in-law J was just here from Detroit. We had a great time, good dinner, fun. His sister, also a J, just blew in from NYC with her BF in tow. We had a nice evening with them yesterday.

We picked and ate all of our fresh peas- note to self, plant A LOT more next time. The zucchini plants have huge blooms. The tomato plants are full of green tomatoes- or apples, as Adam calls them. Our apple trees are full of apples, more than we'll ever need, which is a blessing.

My friend Angela took amazing pictures of the kids the other day= priceless.

So, that's my past couple of weeks in a nutshell. It's been both good and bad. But, isn't that what life is about? I hope you come back to visit often, and I'll be posting some reno pictures soon!

hugs- Lee