Overwhelmed
I have felt completely overwhelmed this week. With work, home, and my home back in Texas. Overwhelmed and frustrated.Our home back in Texas is being rented. Or it was supposed to be. The couple that has been in it for 5 months has not paid us one cent in rent or paid the utilities. I hope that frustration is about to end because we gave them notice to leave. 30 days notice, which I thought was more than generous considering the fact they are not paying. But despite what they've done we are still trying to keep our good people and do the right thing.Work has just been work. Busy. Things breaking, too many assignments coming in. At home I just never seem to have the time to finish all that needs to be done. My blog has just been one more thing I can't seem to keep up with lately. I am starting to have thoughts of just ending my blog until I get things more together and become more organized. Notice I didn't say when I have more time. I have realized I'm just like every other mother out there, there will never be extra time.That is a hard decision. Though I have not been able to keep up with it, my blog has become a part of me. It hurts to end it. While I ponder my options I will be taking a blogging break. I will be back. Either to say goodbye or repost. In the meantime I will miss all my blogging friends, which has been another source of guilt. Where I used to read blogs often, I rarely get to check in on people anymore. I feel like I've let down some friends.
I've Survived...
...My first week back to work after Christmas vacation, though barely. I was tired all week.
It is my fault. I really enjoyed my break. While I got a lot of much needed chores done around the house, I also took some 'me time'. I stayed up late catching up on movies I've wanted to see, and having 'me time' after the children were in bed. The next morning I slept late recovering from my 'me time'.
Going back to work I had to get used to going to bed early and the hardest part, waking early.
My first day back our sewer lines froze, due to 40 below temps, and we had to call parents and send all the children home.
I'm not kidding about the 40 below. It was 40 below zero when I left for work in the morning, so obviously colder through the night when the sewer lines froze.
It has warmed up some, just above zero. After the well below zero temps, just above zero feels wonderful.
Little More Time
After today I have one more day of my vacation left. Then it's back to normal life.
I've really enjoyed sleeping in and catching up on reading. I've also done a lot of deep cleaning my house was greatly in need of. It was nice to have a break but part of me is ready to get back to routine though.
Hubby has had some time off too and we've had a lot of time to talk. We've talked a lot about his upcoming retirement. I think both our feelings range from excitement to fear. I knew this day would come. I dreamed of this day coming. Now that's it is looming so near I get a little scared. It is hard to imagine our lives without the Army being a main part of it.
Financially we are better off than we've ever been. I happily just paid off my last two credit cards and canceled them. (I have had so much trouble with Capital One. I will post more on that later. If I ever decide I need a credit card again it will not be through Capital One.)
I have money in the savings account for the first time ever. While it's not a sufficient enough amount to live off of, it is a start.
We are also in the process of selling our old home in Texas. It was a bittersweet decision but after much discussion it seemed the best.
When we move back to Texas, hopefully this summer, we plan to live on part of his parent's property. And either have a home built or bought.
One of the main reasons for the sell of the old house and move to his parent's property was the school system where our old house was. I will not put my children in that school district again.
Currently we have a couple renting our old home. Oh what a mess it has been! Not only have they not paid rent, they are not paying the utilities either. I could write an entire post on the problems we've had with them, but I don't feel like going into all that right now. I'll write more later about how that whole situation came around.
Right now I'm writing a post and procrastinating. I have to go to the commissary (military grocery store) but I really don't want too. I'm putting it off as long as I can. It's not that I hate grocery shopping, though it's not my favorite chore, it's because it's so darn cold outside. Currently it is 27 below zero.
After some mild weather for the holidays the temps have dropped off. I've really got to learn to stock up on groceries on warmer days!
Vacation
I'm in my second week of vacation. With the exception of having to pop into work for a couple of hours two days (paychecks still need to come out and taxes have to be paid), I was given two weeks off.
I has been nice to spend the time at home with the kids. I have really enjoyed it. I have also spent a lot of time reading. And sleeping. On side effect I seem to have because of the lack of sunlight is I am tired all the time. We are now gaining a few minutes of daylight a day, but it can't come soon enough.
I haven't been completely lazy. Not completely. I've done a lot of cleaning, cooking, and assembling my Christmas present. Hubby got me something I've been wanting for years.
For years I've dreamed of owning a miniature dollhouse. I have collected miniatures, furniture and such, since my children were little. I display my miniatures on little shelves. Now I have a dollhouse to display them in. Well, I will when I get it all put together.
Right now it is partically assembled but with hundreds of small pieces still waiting to be assembled. I might be exaggerating but only slightly.
Each day it slowly starts to look more like a house instead of scraps of wood. When it is all finished it will look like this:
Starting the New Year
My children did get to ring in the New Year after all. I think last night they realized they were on mommy's last nerve and about to be sent to bed. They stopped their fighting and I turned on Dick Clark's Rocking Eve, or whatever the correct name is.Missy filled up my good wine glasses with sparkling apple cider for herself and her brothers. It's the one time of year I let them use my good wine glasses.Hubby and I raised our rum and cokes. I don't drink often, but I figured what the heck. It was a holiday after all. My first choice was Margarita's but since I couldn't find my blender, I opted for a simpler drink. In our paper hats and lei's we toasted the New Year. Hubby and I kissed and then we hugged the children and threw confetti at each other. Apparently I had had a little too much rum and too little coke when I thought that was a good idea!When I first opened the box of New Year goodies I had bought previously, I put the confetti aside saying it would make too much of a mess. For some reason at midnight it suddenly seemed like fun. About twelve o'three we sent the kids to bed. Poor Chase seemed relieved. He was soo tired but refused to give in and sleep. We tried to convince him it was okay to go to bed but he wanted to be grown up like big brother and sister and stay up to watch the lighted ball drop. This morning I woke to the New Year to the smell of bacon. It was almost 11 and instead of making my mouth water it made my stomach turn. I stumbled out of bed, much like I stumbled into the night before, and went downstairs to find Hubby making breakfast for the kids. It would have been such a sweet sight, if my darn stomach wasn't doing somersaults and my head wasn't throbbing.My living room was still covered in confetti. Small trails of glittering pieces made its way into the kitchen, down the hall and out into the garage. It didn't seem like such a great idea in the light of day. Neither did the rum and coke. I spent most of the day sleeping off it's effects, and swearing to myself to never do that again. My new year's resolution. Never to buy confetti again. That and to stay clear of rum and coke. Or in the least when mixing it add more coke and less rum.
>
