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It’s been awhile and so I think a bit of catching up may be in order.  I may not have been blogging but I sure have been busy with… well… life.  

 

Annoyed.  I have a lack of internet service at home right now.  In need of a new part or possibly a new internet provider.  I’m holding my ground and they’re holding theirs.  Blogging is difficult when you can only do it at work (frowned upon) or in an area with free wifi accompanied by four not so patient little boys.  Hence the scarcity of the posts recently.

Satisfied.  I won a bit of a battle with Best Buy a few weeks back which involved them replacing (and upgrading) my camera after the auto focus decided to retire a bit early.

Cold.  In a backyard baseball game gone awry, a window was broken out of my van.  It rained sideways on the way to work tonight.  It’s one thing to have rain on your windshield, but quite another to have rain hitting the side of your face while you are attempting to drive.  Tonight I will be sporting bad hair and a wet T-shirt.  Wet T-shirts are a good look for some… me, not so much.

Adjusting.  In the line of work I am in now we are always cycling.  We prepare, train, go live and support over and over again.  We just hit another Go Live which involves me working at the hospital 12 hour night shifts for the month of December.  I don’t mind working nights assuming I actually get to sleep during the day.  This is a rarity.  I am adjusting to getting 4-5 hours of sleep every 24 hours and impress myself with my energy level most days.

Disappointed.  I have to deal with a litter box again.  Elliott became proficient at digging and burying outside over the last few years and therefore I was able to forego the littler box.  Recently, I wandered out into the living room in the  middle of the night only to watch a raccoon come in through the cat door.  Unfortunately, he was not scared of me and was really quite comfortable hanging out in the same room as me.  If I would have sat down on the sofa he probably would have climbed up on my lap and curled up or ripped my face off with his creepy little hands.  The cat door is now closed for business and the little box is open. 

Counting.  I am counting my blessings this Christmas season that I have a husband and a father.  We recently lost a close family member unexpectedly.  My heart goes out to his wife.  I try to imagine functioning without my own husband.  I also think of his three daughters and wonder what life would be like without the father that I take for granted.  Rest in peace uncle Mickey. 

Excited.  We are having Christmas company this year.  My mom and sister will be coming to visit.  It will be our first overnight guests at the cottage.  We will be celebrating our first Christmas at the cottage.  I am so excited to take these northerners out on the boat and show them all the things they are missing out on.  I’m excited to see what they think of the boys.  I talk to my mom every day, but I think sometimes it’s hard to imagine how much the boys have grown and matured. 

Crafty.  I’ve been wrapping presents by the glow of the Christmas tree each night that I’m not working.  We play Christmas music while I cut apart brown paper bags to make wrapping paper.  I am using up the very last bits of wrapping paper that I own and using lots of homemade paper I’ve collected or repurposed.  I love brown paper packages tied up with strings.  So much so that last night Scott and I sat at the table in silence sewing the seams of paper together with fuzzy yarn.  The packages looked so festive and inviting.  In all reality, the sewing was necessary because while I do often acquire new tape, it gets used very quickly in our house.  I believe the last roll was used to attach the vacuum extension tube to the top of a Nerf gun for a makeshift site.

Creative.  I’ve gotten really good at coming up with one pot meals.  You know the ones that are cooked all in one pot?  Not because I like that kind of recipe or because I only have one pot, but because I only have one burner.  Something dropped on our ecook top the other day and shattered it.  I am left with one usable burner.  I think logical people would go out and buy a new stove, but us… nope.  It keeps things interesting.  I’ve priced the cook top and it’s not pretty.  I’ve priced new stoves and don’t really feel like allocating the time and money right now, so one pot meals it is.  Last night was Mahi Mahi over couscous with pineapple and red peppers.  It was awesome.

Balanced.  I love not being in school.  My family is the closest it’s ever been.  I have a great work/family balance these days.  I work a bit during the week and then it’s off to the cottage on the weekends.  Scott is getting busier with the heavy Christmas shipping season, but his hours are still much better than last year.  I have a real handle on the kids and homework and violin and swim.  I feel in control and not spread to thin.  It’s a refreshing change from the last year.

Nesty.  I am revisiting plans to create the perfect family closet.  This is the idea that all of the clothes in the house live in one place.  They’re either on someone, in the washer or in the closet.  Clothes come out of the dryer and have only one place to go.  The family closet is full of Christmas presents at the moment so these plans must wait for after the holidays, but that doesn’t stop me from scouring Pinterest for inspiration.

Smug.  I’ve found a new source of information and inspiration.  Podcasts.  I love that I can access millions of them via my cell phone.  It is not uncommon to see me walking around the house cleaning or doing paper work with my cell phone in my bra broadcasting a podcast on raising large families or backyard chickens or urban homesteading or organization.  Scott walked in the other day on a podcast regarding how to choose a sister wife.  Oops, that probably looked a bit odd.  I’m not actually considering it but find different family structures fascinating. 

Anxious.  We are in the process of attempting to move.  I do not deal well with moving.  We aren’t planning another cross country move, but a move to a city that is a bit closer to everything in our daily circle.  We are burning lots of fuel and time these days commuting.  No one likes being in the van (maybe because it lacks air, power locks, interior lights, and most recently a window) for extended periods of time including me.  We have outgrown our house and our neighborhood.  Look out, we could be moving near you!

Extreme.  We recently seriously downgraded our satellite TV.  Were down to the local channels, the religious ones  and the home shopping channels.  I miss my garbage shows so much, but don’t miss the time that was required to keep up with all of them.  We have had more family time than ever, some nights not even turning the TV on.  This has lead to some discussion of having no TV in our next house.  We will also be making our own cheese, raising tea cup pot bellied pigs and focusing on self sustainability.  Just kidding… or maybe not. 

Paged.  I am feeling paged, because, well, I am getting paged to the ER to help them with their new computer system.  Probably the reason I should not blog at work.  

Erin Out!