Deleting the naughty....painfully.

If I've learned anything about moving in the last year, it is this: moving should be done like the removal of a Band-Aid...quickly. Painful, but quickly. Just rip it off. Don't do it millimeter by millimeter while pausing and waiting for the sting to subside.

I could have possibly made the situation harder to deal with by delaying some of the inevitable, but in truth, it all works out the way it is supposed to. With the husband being relocated so quickly, there was no way I would have been able to get the house ready for sale in the beginnings of winter. Then those days called Holidays came. After that, it seemed silly to move with the school year being nearly half way through. And let's not forget snow storm after snow storm either stranding us here or there.

Oh, but then, spring came and I realized now is the time to start doing all the outdoor/painting etc things that didn't get done.  May arrived and guess what - the husband was shipped off to California for two and a half months. I would have been living in a new town, in a very small apartment, by myself with the kids anyway. What was the point of moving when we were still going to be separated...at least I would still have our families to support us. 

The end of May brought us a stroke of luck when a friend mentioned her friend had been looking for a house for months and just couldn't find anything she liked. Hmm, I thought. I've been listed for months, so something tells me this house was not on her interest list.  However, it took two looks and a couple negotiations and this family felt our little home was just perfect for them.  After all, it was a blank canvas and she had painted visions in her head. Potential.

The husband and I were not back in the same household again until nearly the end of July, where we had one week to pack the rest of the house, schedule moving, and clean up. In that third week of July, he put in more than 2,000 miles and two round trips in two different sized moving trucks, unloading them into two storage units.  We were a pair again, a set of two, which seemed to be the resounding number for everything we were trying to accomplish.

We spent nearly three months in that tiny hovel, trying to live new lives, driving back and forth between communities for school until our house finished.

Then came October 31, which in retrospect, has become the day of many major events in our lives. In years past, I recall my dad having what may have been a heart attack when I was in high school - the details are foggy; as a child I was denied a toilet by a nun when trick-or-treating. I went into labor with my daughter on Halloween. Last year my husband flew out of town for this job interview. This year, we closed and moved. See what I'm saying?

We are now settling in, finding a routine and adjusting. Life has been as scattered as the writing above. I believe now, that we humans are resilient and adaptable. The kids are enjoying school and their activities with new friends. I am finding friendships and motivation. My prayers are less of desperation and more of thanks. We are whole again.

The pain of the Band-Aid has healed. This is probably the lesson I have learned about the quick and painful ripping - The husband and I operate better as one team, not two separate teams and I am grateful for him. These decisions are hard and without him being around I learned to rely on him more, and not be so independent. 

Deleting the naughty...I can't take this anymore.

A photo I took of a street under water during the 2009 flood. 

We had a blizzard during the flood, so yes, 

that is ice on top of the flood waters raging below.

For the love of all that is holy...please stop the snow.

Stranded for a week in the new town, now stranded at home. This has got to stop.

I will get around to writing again...if you don't find me curled up in the corner of my bedroom in the fetal position, rocking back and forth weeping softly in the dark. Or if I am not floating down the river in what could possibly be another record-breaking flood. Glad I have a brand new sump pump :).

Deleting the naughty...with So What Saturday

Here are this week's excuses:
- I have had a nagging headache at the base of my skull for 3 days. I was, and am, stressed so I took a hot bath. Unfortunately, I don't have an amazing larger than life soaking tub so my neck was turned funny. I want a huge tub.

-I am having an open house on Sunday. This place needs to sell. Ugh.  I have nothing but cleaning and vacuuming to do today and I'm not happy about it. Just keep plugging away I guess.

-Easter is coming! Have I had a conversation with the Easter bunny yet? No.  And I need to. It seems that my children remember last year vividly. The cousins were in town. They were staying at our house. The Easter bunny gave them big huge baskets with lots of stuff.  They got an ice cream bucket with a few treats and a couple toys.  They don't understand why the Easter bunny gave them less than their cousins. How do I explain that?  Tell me, readers...what do I do?  Go overboard this year and say that Easter bunny ran out of money last year?  Sister of mine...I know you read this. You will not stay at my house ever again if I have to compete with gi-nor-mous easter baskets, lol. If you do, we need to do better planning and top notch communicating...or I will one-up your easter baskets right in front of you, hahahahaha!  "Oh look kiddies, see what the Easter bunny brought Monkey and Peanut?"

-Have I mentioned I am sick of winter?  I want this snow to be gone. The bad news? We are yet again under a major flood watch/warning/whatever you want to call it. The good news? Our home is out of the flood plain and we have a brand new sump pump with a battery back-up. Now tell me this...who wouldn't want to buy this house knowing they will not have to deal with the flood and/or flood insurance???

-I also need winter to be done because I want my children to go outside and play. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but I am tired of being house-ridden with them. I need some damn fresh air. I am lucky in the sense that both the kids LOVE to play in the snow. My son adores winter. But, I think I need them to go out a little longer each day. :)

-I hate Virgin Mobile today. A lot. Their finance department can bite me for not returning phone calls and leaving me without telephone contact with my husband over what we can't quite figure out is fraud. Really? Been a customer for what, 6-7 years? And all of a sudden they think that because my husband ran out of minutes we are committing fraud? GRRRRR. I am so angry about this. Virgin Mobile, I am ready to fire you.

Deleting the naughty...with a little heat.

I am having an affair.

With a heating pad. And, yes I actually said that out loud as I typed it. And no, it's not my first.

I have a really hard time staying warm. My feet often turn white, sort of numb and icy cold. Crawling into bed at night on cold sheets makes me shiver and feel stiff and I just hate it. Husband decided one day to put an old heating pad on my side of the bed under the covers for me...and it changed my life.

My first affair was with Heating Pad the First (HP I). HP I had to have been close to 20 years old or more. In fact, I think he had a previous relationship with Husband's mother, to whom he belonged. He was a pale aqua colored cloth full of little pills and snags that had no cushion, the bottom plastic was completely poked through and I was actually afraid he would start on fire. I felt it was time to move on. I deserved a new heating pad, one of my very own.

Now, Husband is very supportive of my relationships with HP I and HP II. He agreed that HP I was just too dangerous for me. He wanted me to be with something more stable, modern and younger.

This is how I met Heating Pad the Second (HP II). Husband gave him to me either for Christmas or my birthday one year. He is a sky blue color with three heat settings and a timed auto shut-off. He is my companion through the winter, PMS, sore muscles and illness. Sometimes we just hang out while I read a trashy novel or type.

With my husband living in Nebraska I am finding it very hard to stay warm in a bed with an enormous amount of real estate. I love my king size bed, but not having a warm body on the other side leaves the sheets cold and no legs to shove my frozen feet on to keep them from going numb. I fill some of the void by keeping a load of pillows piled next to me..it gives me the illusion he is present without all the twitching.

But I miss our night time ritual nearly as much as I miss him. Almost every night, Husband comes into the bedroom because he finishes getting ready before I do. He turns on the lamp, turns on my turbo fan for white noise, puts HP II in his place of honor and pulls the bedding back over it so my side is nice and warm before I crawl in. So HP II,now I turn you on. You don't turn me on, but you are keeping me warm until I can be cozy by Husband's side again.

Deleting the naughty...with Love With Food March

Love with Food, the sub box with a great cause is giving us a "New twist on classic favorites" for the theme this month. As always, with every box you buy, they donate a meal.









Dark Chocolate Orange Good Fortune Cookie from Emily's Chocolate:
Exactly what it says it is. And my fortune? Yeah...if you follow my blog, you know what this means...

Ola Foods Granola:
100% natural handbaked granola. I got the flavor Vanilla Almond. Made with whole grain oats, pure maple syrup, non GMO canola oil (which yes I know is bad if you are trying to be Paleo..I am failing on all fronts right now, but at least I am eating healthier), vanilla extract and cinnamon. Whole almonds in this to be clear.

Chocolate Covered Wasabi Peas from Chocwasabi:
Milk chocolate covered horseradish peas. I tried one. I did not like them. Sometimes you get a miss.

Salted Caramel Baked Corn from Cosmos Creations:
These are puffed corn coated with a salted caramel. Like the kind my mother-in-law makes every Christmas, you know the stuff I am talking about. This bag of goodies could rival the homemade. It is very close to the real stuff, I have to say.

Revolution Tea Green Tea Infuser:
I received a bag of the Acai Green Tea. I like tea. I don't drink soda or drink mixes so a nice clean tea hits the spot for me. I am looking forward to trying it.

Mary's Gone Crackers Wholesome Snacks:
I got the Sticks & Twigs Pretzels variety. Organic, vegan, gluten-free...I really liked these. This was my late night snack the other night and it filled me up.

Fruit and Veggie Juice from Kids 50:
Made with water, carrot juice, apple juice, acerola juice, it also contains Stevia.  I am not prepared to jump on the Stevia bandwagon just yet, I need more info. But, I think the kids will like this, now I just need them to not fight over who got more.

Wild Berry Flat Fruit from Wacky Apple:
I always give these to my kids. They share one bite with me and then it's gone in a matter of seconds. I know they will love it because they love all things fruit.