Camouflaged Daydreams

~Part II~

Tuesday morning ~
I got Jr and Missy off to school. I turned on cartoons, put Chase on one couch and I laid on the other. It wasn't long before we were both sound asleep.

~~Some where off in dream land I hear an odd ringing sound. I wake slowly to realize it's my cell phone. I really need to change my ring tone. I grab for my cell phone with one eye still closed.

Uhhh...Hello

Hubby-Are you asleep?

Huh...uh no...yes

Hubby- I'm sorry I woke you up. I was just calling to see how it went.

Huh...? Oh! What time is it?!

Hubby-Eleven thirty.

Oh no! I didn't mean to sleep that long! I'm up, I'm getting ready right now!

I ran to the computer, spell checked my resume and set it to print. Upstairs to the shower. Out of the shower I realized I forgot to shave my legs. Oh well, I'm wearing dress pants no one will know.

To the closet I can't find a thing to wear. Nothing seems to fit right or look right. Clothes are piling up outside the closet as I'm throwing them at hyper speed.

I finally found something to wear. It's wrinkled. I forgot to iron the pants and shirt...oh who I'm I kidding. I always iron on a as-needed basis. No time to iron they'll have to go in the dryer. Running down the first flight of stairs.

Chase-Mommy.

Good baby, you're awake.

Chase-I'm hungry.

Okay, how about waffles.

To the kitchen and pop in a couple of waffles in the toaster. Down another flight of stairs to the basement. Throw clothes in dryer. Start to run off, remember I didn't turn on dryer, turn around and start dryer.

Back up the basement stairs. Check waffles. Still cooking. Up the other flight of stairs. Brush my teeth and wash my face. Eyebrows! I still haven't done that. Okay don't panic. No time to pluck and shape. I know. I have that little trimmer thing, it says it can be used for eyebrows.

Back down to the first floor. Take out waffles, add syrup. Down to basement and get clothes. Back to first floor. Realize I forgot Chase's milk. Fill glass of milk. Back upstairs. Get dressed. No time to do anything to fantastic to my hair. Decide on a simple french twist...After three attempts I make it work.

Clothes! Chase needs clothes. Run to Chase's room and find something warm. Back downstairs.

Baby, when you get done eating can you put this on.

Chase- Sure mommy.

Good boy. Mommy is going to finish getting ready. I'll be down in a minute.

Back upstairs. Really winded by now, and cursing the inventor of stairs. To the master bathroom. Pull out makeup and - What in the world?! NO!

Have you guessed yet? All the little hints and mentions of eyebrows?

I trimmed off part of my eyebrow! Maybe it's a real good thing I didn't remember to shave my legs. Just standing there staring at the mirror with horror.

Okay let's be calm. It's not too bad. Left eyebrow just a little too far over. Just a little nick with the trimmer. It will be okay.

Who am I kidding?! It's just enough to be noticeable!

I have two choices now. Trim the right eyebrow over a little to match, or fill left with eyebrow pencil. Grab pencil and fill in missing section of eyebrow. At least it was a trimmer mistake and not a plucking one. It will grow back fast.

Make up finished. Eyebrow filled in. Chase dressed and we head out the door. In the van I realized I left my resume in the printer. After a quick turn around we are finally on the road.

The drive to town was the most relaxing part of the whole adventure. I tried to listen to the radio and calm my rapidly beating heart.

Deep breaths. Everything is fine now. Time is a little short but I can still make it work. All I have to do is find this school and everything will be fine.

~~To be continued~~

I just looked outside and it is snowing!

I walked out on the back porch for a minute. I just stood there looking up into the sky watching the snowflakes fall. The kids would be so excited if they were awake. I was almost tempted to wake them. They've only seen snow a couple of times. They'll be mad at me in the morning that I didn't wake them. I know it won't be the last time it snows by far. We're going to have so much snow by the time we leave here the kids will probably never want to see snow again.

As I was watching the snow I remembered back home when I was little my mom used to make us snow ice cream. Ice cream she made us kids with fresh falling snow. We used to think it was the coolest thing ever. I had almost forgotten about that.

(I didn't have to worry about waking the kids. The ground is covered in snow. And it's still snowing! All the kids were so excited. Chase did his little happy dance around the house chanting "Snow! Snow!" I really hope they continue to love it 3 months from now. Update Thursday 8:08 a.m.)

I was too exhausted to post last night. In fact I was out cold by about 8 p.m. I think that's the earliest I have ever slept. Yesterday was a nightmare. It seems a little more humorous this morning than it did yesterday. It was one of those days I knew I'd laugh about later. The ones that make great stories to tell but are hell to live through. This morning I'm just sitting here shaking my head, laughing to myself, and thinking only me.

Hubby- How did it go today?

Me- Not good.

Hubby- Did you drop off your resume?

Me- No

Hubby- No? What happen?

Me- I never made it there. I did drop my resume off at another place though.

Hubby gives me a puzzled look.

Me- It was the day from hell. Long story, I'll explain when you get back from the gym.

... Blog tonight. I'm putting the finishing touches on my resume that I will turn in tomorrow. I had a nice phone interview today. If all goes well I may be called in for a formal interview at the begining of next week.

Chase is tall for age. He's always been on the high percentage for his age. His height makes him look older than he is. People are amazed when I tell them he just turned four.

Really I have no idea where he got this height. Hubby and I are not that tall. I am only 5'4". Until about a year ago I thought I was 5'5" and was sad when I realized I was actually an inch shorter...but that's another story.

I've been trying to prepare Chase for the transition to day care when I find a job. I've told him about all the friends he'll make and the fun he'll have. Actually he didn't need much coaching because he wants to go to school just like brother and sister. I think he's grown bored staying at home with no one to play with but mommy during the day. When I checked out the day care center on base he was so excited. He asked me if this would be his school. I used the words babysitter and day care a few times, but Chase will hear none of it. The day care is a school as far as he's concerned.

A few days ago I was at the commissary doing some much needed grocery shopping. As usual Chase is in tow. As we were checking out he started having a conversation with the woman bagging our groceries.

Woman- "So, are you school?"

Chase- "No" He puts his hands on his hips. Then let out a loud dramatic sigh. "I don't go to school yet 'cuz my mom doesn't have a job."

Hubby and I spend the last two days on the phone contacting his family, who are all in southeast Texas. We were finally able to track everyone down and get the information on where they were going. About half of them evacuated this afternoon the other half are evacuating in the middle of the night tonight.

Hubby and I did worry for some time today when we got word that one of his family members was not going to leave. We knew the area she was in and it is not going to be the best place to be. We knew if she stayed she'd be trapped. We tried all day to contact her. To see if maybe, perhaps we could convince her to head to higher ground. We finally reached her tonight. We found out it was a misunderstanding. She wasn't refusing to leave, she just refused to leave until all her patients at the nursing home where she works were evacuated. She was staying to help until she knew they were all safe. This is very much her character. She has so much love for her patients. That nursing home has now been safely evacuated and she is also on her way out also.

I've been a bundle of nerves yesterday and today worrying about everyone. I did all I could do, pray and clean house. I cleaned, scrubbed, and rearranged cabinets and furniture. Heavy cleaning is something I tend to do when I get real worried or upset. It's an outlet for my pent up nervous energy.

Our home back in Texas is in the possible path. If we were still there we would have been evacuated already. Hubby said something last night and it made me realize, wow God works in mysterious ways. My brother is supposed to be in our house right now. He was moving down there and was going to care for the house for us. On his way, about half way there, he broke down. It took his entire savings to fix his truck. He had no choice but to turn around and go back home. I was sad for him. I knew he was looking forward to moving to Texas. But also in the back of my mind I kept thinking, there is a reason for this. I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. Last night Hubby said to me, "that's the reason he isn't there right now." I believe he's right.

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the path of this hurricane. My thoughts and prayers are still with the Katrina victims.

This is yet another episode of how to be bad neighbors. My dogs once again dug through our attempts to keep them in our yard. We found them two houses down. We got the dogs back, poured dirt in the holes, and put down more timber and rocks along the fence line.

It had rained lightly off and on all day. Once again I was out digging around in mud. Jr helped me with the dirty work. Once it was done I climbed the porch to check and see if our puppies did any damage in the neighbor's yard. I couldn't see all of her yard very well, but I was sure they must have dug on the other side of her fence to get to the following house.

I knew what I had to do but it took a little courage. I have only meet the next door neighbor a couple of times. Some of you may have read about those adventures already. In case you missed it, in a nut shell it was not under the best circumstances - our first meeting the pups ran in her yard, the second Chase ran through her flower bed. Both times the lady has been so kind. So here I was about to knock on her door again to apologize. I had butterflies in my stomach as I rang the bell. It was going to be embarrassing but I also knew it was the right thing to do.

She was so kind again. I apologized about a dozen times and tried to reassure her we were trying everything we could think of to break the dogs of this digging and running. I then told her I thought the pups may have dug in her yard because of where we found them. I told her I would like to repair any damage my pups did and got her permission to go in her back yard.

Sure enough they had dug two nice holes. One on the opposite of our fence and one on the fence of the other side. I had brought along a large bag of potting soil luckily I had on hand in the garage. Jr helped me fill in the holes. We could see from that vantage point that the hole extended to the following yard also. I knew another apology was in order.

We were covered in dirt and mud by the time we got to the second neighbor's door. I tried to clean myself up as much as possible before I rang the bell. This family I do know, so I wasn't quite as nervous ringing the bell, but it was still just as embarrassing.

I'm fearing the cold winter here but on the other hand I'll be relieved when the ground freezes and the pups can't dig anymore. Or when the ground is covered in snow. Then the pups can dig until their hearts content and I won't mind a bit.

I filled out a resume online through the local newspaper. I followed site's template. I filled in blanks with my work experience (thank goodness for my volunteer work) and put in references. If I had my choice about it my resume would look a little different. Something like this:


I am self employed. My title is Wife/Homemaker/Mom
My job has given me experience in the following career paths:

*Management
*Financial Planner
*Accounting
*Investing
*Secretary
*Janitorial
*Culinary Arts
*Quick Order Chef
*Waitress
*Bus Boy
*Dishwasher
*Laundress
*Teacher
*Tudor
*Errand Boy
*First Aid
*Medical Assistant
*Counselor
*Disciplinarian
*Shopper
*Packer
*Shipper
*Travel Planner
*Seamstress
*Babysitter
*Chauffeur
*Party Planner
*Costume Designer
*Interior Decorator
*Maintenance Worker
*Plumber

My skills are as follows:

Hard working - I work all day, seven days a week, and often times into the night.
Quick learner -I learned how to be a mother almost over night and continue to learn every day.
Multi-tasking - A must in my job.
Bilingual - Fluent in English and Baby Talk
Excellent phone skills - The phone is my link to the outside world. I take this very seriously. Excellent costumer service skills - I've spent over 11 years trying to make my family happy.
Financial planning and budgeting - I handle our home's finances on my own. If you've seen our bills and some of our shorter paychecks you'd conclude I am a financial genius. Organizational skills - Another must in my job.
Work well under pressure -1 husband, 3 kids, 2 dogs...I think you get the picture.
Able to work at a moments notice - I've baked cookies, cupcakes, and thrown together pot luck dishes on an afternoon's notice. The same also applies to running last minute errands, babysitting, and various other tasks.
Great computer & typing skills - I am very proficient on the computer and have excellent typing skills, can even do so while holding a child on my lap. I am also skilled in HTML web design, Networking, and Microsoft Word. Next week I can add Excel to this list.
Active in the community-I have taken on numerous volunteer positions through the years. I have also assisted cub scout and brownie troop leaders, and been a soccer team mom for many years.
Works independently - If I always waited on my family for help many things would go undone.
Able to handle busy work environment - 3 kids, need I say more?
Simple sewing skills - I've had much experience sewing on buttons, repairing hems, and fixing broken seams in favorite stuffed animals.
Simple maintenance & plumbing - I've fixed many simple maintenance and plumbing problems around my house while my husband has been away.
Willing to further my education- I am looking into potential colleges. My company is willing to send me but is currently under budget review.

I love scanning flee markets, antique and thrift stores, and garage sales looking for unique items to decorate my house. I love antiques, vintage pieces, and pretty much anything that looks old fashioned. It all fits into my country decor in the house.

Today as I was out running errands I noticed a sign saying the base thrift store was open. I thought I'd swing in there after my errands were done and see what they had. I especially like the thrift stores on bases because you can often find furniture, and odds and ends relatively cheap. As a lot of military families move they unload the stuff they don't want to have packed at these base stores. You can usually find furniture still fairly new and in good shape.

So after my errands were finished I went in. The store was packed but I eventually found a parking space. Chase found a toy he just had to have, and for a dollar I let him get it. After a few minutes of looking around I was about ready to go. Not really finding anything this time. Then I came around a corner and found an old fashioned school desk. It is an old wood, flip top desk, with a wooden chair attached. I was so excited. I thought this would be perfect for homework, or the kids art activities. And the inside of the desk was so large I knew it would hold most of their art supplies. They wanted ten dollars for it and I agreed.

The thing was heavy and a bit awkward to carry but I managed to get it down the stairs, out to my mini van, and home. I set it near our large computer desk so Chase can work at his desk while mommy works at hers. I filled the inside of the desk with crayons, coloring books, pencils, and puzzles. Chase spend the rest of the afternoon sitting at the desk coloring pictures to hang on the fridge. When Jr and Missy got home they were excited about it. They took turns doing their homework at it. It's attractive and useful. Not a bad find for ten dollars.

I'm changing my children's nick-names. I've never liked Big Brother's nick-name but at the time it was all I could come up with.

Little Princess picked out her own nick-name. It is fitting because she does believe she is a princess. But I'd like to go with something shorter.

DH (and Baby Boy) keep reminding me that Baby Boy is not a baby anymore. So I guess it's time for a change there too, at least as far as the nick-name goes, to me he'll always be my baby.

Big Brother will now be Jr. Because he is well, a Junior.

Little Princess will now be Missy. That's my nick-name for her at home.

Baby Boy is a little more challenging. I used to call him Jelly Bean because when the nurses handed him to me after he was born, wrapped up in the striped hospital blanket, he looked just like a little striped jelly bean. DH soon caught onto the nick-name and called him that also. When DH went to Korea, Baby Boy no longer let me call him Jelly Bean. He would tell me that is what daddy calls him.

So then I started to call him Bubba, and still do. Bubba was his way of saying brother. For a long time it was also what he called his sister. And well, pretty much anyone who wasn't mom, dad, grandma, or papa, got called bubba. He would even call himself Bubba, saying to people "I'm a bubba." It was only natural that Bubba soon became his second name. I thought about using this nic for him but looking into the distant future I can picture him reading through my blog. I'm not so sure he'd be happy to be known in the cyber world as Bubba.

So I'm back to square one. I'll have to give it a little more thought just what to change Baby Boy's nic too.

(Update - I just had a brainstorm. I will call Baby Boy by his middle name, Chase. It is fitting. Since the day he started crawling he's been on the go and I've been chasing him ever since.)


I'm also still wracking my brain trying to come up with a nick-name for DH. The few conversations we've had about it, he has hinted that he wanted to stay anonymous. He does have a unique name. One that if I used, anyone who knows us or has known us in the past, would have no doubt that it is us. For now I'll guess he'll still be DH or Hubby until I can come up with something more creative.

With all these changes it reminds me that I need to put a new picture up. I thought the picture was okay at the time, but I've grown tired of it and think I need a more recent one. Maybe sometime soon I'll get on that.

~~~~~~~~~

Over the weekend I enrolled in another computer class. After I finish this class I have to go an take a quiz and I will receive certification for it. I'll write more about this, and my college plans in a later post.

I'm still on the job hunt. Every day I scan the want ads, searching for a job to fit in school time hours. Another position opened up in the school district. I will turn in my application for it tomorrow. I still wait and hope for a phone call on any other applications I have already put in. A couple of the jobs I put in for closed at the end of last week. So there is still a possibility.

I would like to dedicate this post to the victims and survivors of the tragedy of September 11, 2001.


Let Us Not Forget

Let us not forget that horrible morning when planes fell from the sky and changed our nation.

Let us not forget the lives that were taken or the heroes that were made.

Let us not forget the patriotism that was reborn in our hearts and in our homes.

Let us not forget the brave service members who confronted evil to protect us all and who protect us still.

Let us not forget those who never returned.

I will never forget.

DH - What did you do today?

Me- I finished my HTML class.

DH- Good job. Did you get your certificate?

Me- Yes. I also cleaned the downstairs toilet...while I was throwing up.

DH- Why did you get sick?

Me- I don't know. I was on my way to clean the bathroom and felt sick all of a sudden. But I got the toilet scrubbed anyway. I was multitasking.

DH- Standing and patting his chest That's my wife! She can puke and clean a toilet at the same time!

DH- Hey, next time you throw up could you do it in our bathroom. That toilet needs to be cleaned too.

Today my puppies were a big pain in the butt. Kodi is our male dog and is an Alaskan Husky. He's getting quite big already. Candi is our female dog and she is, were not exactly sure, we are guessing a lab mix. Mixed with what we have no idea. Anyway, she's a little bitty thing. She was the pup that used to squeeze through the fence to get into the neighbor's yard. I've got the fence blocked to where she can no longer do that, but today she decided to get out another way. Thankfully not in the neighbor's yard this time. Instead she slipped under the gate door through a hole Kodi dug.

Kodi is the digger and we are still trying to break him of that habit. Candi on the other hand stays away from the dirty work. She waits until her brother digs the hole and then she slips under the gate and runs off. Kodi then howls and whines because he's too big to fit through the hole and he hates to be left alone.

Four times today Candi got out and I had to chase her down. The first time she ran right to me. The other three she enjoyed a little game where she would run close to me, even brush my legs sometimes, and just when I reached for her she would dart off. If dogs could laugh I'm sure she would have been bursting with laughter.

Each time I finally recaptured my dog I tried to refill and block the hole. Obviously from what I've already said, I failed three more times. As soon as Candi was back in the fence Kodi would start to dig her escape route again. Only to whine and howl again because she left him.

The weather did not cooperate either. It was cold and rained all day. The dirt Kodi had dug up was mud by early morning. I was wet, cold, and muddy most of the day. It seemed like each time I got back inside, changed clothes, and started cleaning up, I would hear Kodi howling again and I'd have to rush right back out the door.

The first time I actually rushed out in my pajama pants without really thinking much of it since I was just waking up and still half asleep. I then of course ran into, almost literally, one of my neighbors. Oh what a sight I must have been. I guess some one has to give the neighbor's something to talk about. Why does it always have to be my family though?!

Tomorrow I need to shampoo the carpets because I tracked in so much mud. Our housing unit is wall to wall carpet. The carpet is a light beige color. I dislike it because it shows up everything and stains so easily.

Amid the chaos I did manage to get a few things done. I made a nice dinner for the family. I felt good about it since the day was so hectic and something finally went right. I made a nice roast with potatoes and carrots, and home made rolls. It's one of DH's and the kid's favorite meals. I barely got a thank you though. Did I mention I made those rolls from scratch? It was a two hour labor of love *sigh*

I also got another two sections done in my HTML class. One more segment and I will be finished and will receive my certificate. I was determined to stay up and finish it tonight. About a half hour ago I decided to take a cue from scarlet O'Hara and decided I'll worry about it tomorrow. The class and the carpets, I can worry about it tomorrow.

The weather is changing and quickly. The sun is setting earlier and we actually have night here now. The sun is starting to set around 9 p.m. The temperatures have been cooler. I think I'm starting to get used to the weather. When first getting here I found it a little chilly at times, compared to the hot and humid Texas summers. Now I feel quite comfortable going out in jeans and a sweater.

The trees are starting to show signs of the changing seasons. The green leaves are turning to autumn reds and golds. This morning when I looked out the back window I saw a moose munching on the yellow leaves. It was so close, just outside of my fence. It looked up at me as I snapped some pictures. Then it continued eating. I suppose I didn't seem much of a threat to it. And I - safely on my porch, behind the fence, and within a few steps of the back door - didn't feel very threatened either.

This afternoon I turned in more job applications. Now I wait and hope for the phone to ring while searching for other positions that fit into my time frames. The job market is great here. It's only difficult when you are trying to find certain hours so you only have to pay daycare costs for one child instead of three.

Big Brother got his progress report today. His grades are great all except one class. He's struggling in his English class. I'm going to do what I can to help him out and see if we can't bring that grade up. I'm still waiting on Little Princess's progress report. I should have it tomorrow.

I am trying to get back into the study habit. I have enrolled in a couple computer classes. I want to brush up on some of my computer skills, and to have a little something extra to put on my resumé. I have nearly completed the first class and have surprised myself by how quickly I've been progressing through it. I'm seriously thinking about enrolling in night classes at the local college next semester. I've been wanting to go back to school for a long time now. If I can find a job I should have the extra income to cover tuition costs and book fees.

I'm a little worried about balancing everything. The kids, housework, a part time job, and college. But I am determined to make it work. Plus I have DH home right now to help me. Worrying about balancing it all is another reason I didn't enroll in college courses this fall semester. I want to get a job first and get used to balancing home, family, and work, before I throw college into the mix. I know things will be hectic at first but I am sure after a little time I will get myself in a routine and it will run a bit smoother.

(I had to come back and fix the word resumé. I had resume orginally. I learned how to do make the accented letters in my HTML class today)

I am normally a patient person. Heck I've been married to a man for 12 years who still doesn't know what a laundry hamper is. I patiently wait for the day, because I know it will eventually happen, that he will learn to throw his dirty clothes in the basket instead of the floor. If that isn't a test of patience I don't know what is.

I have noticed though when it comes to things I expect to get done in a quick matter of time my patience is no where to be found. Such as fast food, I want it quickly or I would have made dinner at home. Isn't that the whole point to name fast food. And check out lines really grate on my nerves. It is ironic how I can spent a large amount of time in a store comparing prices and searching out the most elusive bargains, but when I am finished I expect to fly through the check out process. How the lady, who just a short time ago I was engaged in conversation with in the laundry soap isle chatting about the new laundry detergent, is now enemy number one because she is two persons ahead of me in the check out line and taking her own sweet time having a friendly conversation with the cashier. I guess perhaps I am selectively patient.

Today I waited in a long line at the gas pumps. Filling my car with fuel is another errand I expect to get done in a short amount of time. Waiting four cars back from the pumps was a test of my endurance this afternoon. Apparently the entire base had heard the same news I had. Gas prices are sky rocketing this weekend. When the lead truck driver left her vehicle to go inside and apparently buy the entire store's stock of goodies before moving her stupid, ugly, green, monster-of-a-truck out of the way I was getting pretty testy. I'm apparently also very childish when I'm in a hurry.

In the middle of my childish complaining to myself, I'm not so mean to actually complain within ear shot of anyone, it hit me why I was there. I was there to save on gas money. Gas prices were going up. Gas prices were going up because of the disastrous hurricane Katrina. Wow. Like I was struck by an invisible thunder bolt I was instantly humbled. I replayed in my mind the horrible scenes I've seen on the news. Hundreds of people stranded in shelters. Entire cities under water. People who have lost their homes. The newscaster plea for help as these people are running out of basic supplies. I've been so saddened by the news. I've prayed for the people effected by this catastrophe. Though today it seemed to really hit me. I have a home. I have a car to fill with gas. I fridge full of food. I have access to grocery stores. My family is safe and well. I may not be rich by any means or the luckiest person in the lot. But today, at that moment, I reflected on the little things that really matter. At that moment I felt truly blessed.