A quick hello

Sorry for the long delays and lack of posts lately, I am still waiting for my good computer to return, and it should be here any day now.  Things have been busy.  I have negotiated an interesting deal about the house, which will hopefully lead to both a good place to live and a great place to do child care.  I have started the paperwork to become a registered day care provider, so that ball is rolling.  Hopefully by mid-January that process should be done and I should be approved.  I have also decided with the bigger space that I will pursue another avenue I have been wanting to do for a long tie but the timing was just not right.  I have put in an inquiry on become a foster parent.  So we will see where that leads.  I know that from inquiry to placement is often a year or two, so starting the process now puts us well into having everything else solid by the time any placements would occur.

My car is still in the shop.  The total estimate was over two thousands dollars, so I talked to my step father and he can do a couple of the things that are needed --one of which the garage estimated would be nearly $1000 parts and labor, parts being more than half.  But looking online I can find the parts for less than a 1/4 of what he quoted, so my step father is going to do that one.  So the garage is doing the struts, wheel bearing and new tires.  It should be ready tomorrow afternoon!!

My chickens are doing well, getting feathers and liking being in the big coop.  I am worried that they will get too cold over the next couple of days.  I still have the box with a light in it that they sleep in to keep warm.  But unlike the past few days with temps in the 40's and 50's, the lows are heading into the low twenties (my two button does not work on this computer so I have to write out all numbers that contain a two).  The forecast is an 80% chance of snow tomorrow, and not just flurries but accumulations of up to 6 inches!!!  What a way to have first snowfall of the year!  sheesh!!!

WOW, some days are just stressful.....

Well, today is one of those days.  G finished up with school yesterday, but Jos still had a regular day today as his last day.  I had to replace the rotors and pads on the front brakes.  I actually bought the parts and my father was going to do it, but he could not get the rotors off.  So I took it to the garage, and it ended up costing $112 JUST IN LABOR as I already gave them the parts for it. I also asked them to remount the tires on the front. as they are wearing unevenly and by switching them around you can get more mileage out of them before i have to come up with the money for new tires and an alignment.  But they said they felt the tires were not good enough so they would not do it, which means I need to ask my brother if he can do it.  And A's brake pads are completely down to the metal.  I don't know why A let them get so far down.  At this point the rotors will have to replaced too, when if the pads had been done a week ago, it would have only cost like $20 for the pads.  I know it is not my vehicle and I have no reason to feel like it is going to come out of my pocket, but in the trickle down effect that I have from A, if something costs A money, I end up "lending" money for gas and other things to make up the difference.  Normally I don't mind giving money to people as I know that in the end, if I need it, they will be there for me as I was for them.  But lately I feel like with my ex, the fair exchange of favors has become very one sided.  For a while, it was working out fine, I would lend A money to get to the next paycheck (weekly) and at the end of the month, A would get it back to me as I needed to stretch to my next paycheck (which is monthly), but lately the amount I give out and the amount I get back are getting further and further apart, which I can not afford.  And A is getting more and more negative again, which just makes me want to scream, because I am trying to get away from the negativity in my life, not draw a whole bunch more in, especially when A has some really great prospects out there right now that should be bringing a MORE positive attitude and feelings.  I suppose it goes back to choice, we each choose whether we focus on the negatives in our lives or on the positives.  I guess today's post is more of a negative focus for me, from me.....something more for me to think about and adjust in my own attitude...

 In order to drop the car off at the garage, I had to have A follow us down, and then ride with A to drop Jos off and then drop A off at work.  Then Gonz and I had breakfast at the diner, and now we are hanging out at the library.  Jos gets out of school at 1:45, but A does not get out of work until 8pm.  So now I have to figure out how to pick up my car, as the garage closes before them. 

It has just been one of those crazy, run around days.  Gonz fell asleep in the car on the way to the bank.  He was a bit difficult this morning for A in the ride down, but I think maybe he was just tired.  I had to keep reminding the boys it was time to go to sleep last night, as they kept chattering away.  An hour and a half after the lights were turned out I still had to go in and tell them it was time to stop talking and go to sleep.  I had to threaten the removal of Jos' book in order to get them to finally stop. (the boys each have book and little led flashlight in their beds after lights out, but usually they settle down within a few minutes and I end up shutting off the little flashlights 30 minutes later when they are sleeping).  So I think they were both tired this morning, and they also get affected by people's moods.  And A was not is a good one this morning.  Having to get to our house and leave 30 minutes early than usual added to it, but it is more about the job.  Working on a total commission base is hard, especially when there is road construction in from of the dealership and thus very few customers.  But A is also looking for a regular, full time position back in human services.  overall pay is less, but it is more rewarding and the income much more stable.  So A is going back to that hopefully.  Then A can get an apartment and move out of my father's house, and start rebuilding a life.  And I can get back to rebuilding my life more solidly as a single person.

So a sigh of relief, and I hope that A gets the new job and that it all works out.  Well, I should spend some time with Gonz, who is playing a game on the computer next to me in the children's section of the library....

Day 15--getting back to routine

While today was a little discombobulated with having to go to the salvage yard and turn over the car's title to get paid and then back down to be able to work at the library, overall it was a good day.  they boys both had a good day at school, and I got some productive work done on my website.  I need to write a couple of articles this evening as they are the bread and butter of my income.  And hopefully will be able to finish the page on my website that I started today. 

Well on to food journalling:
Water on the ride down

Breakfast at 9:30 am when I filled up the gas tank--A Stewart's Eggwich (Sausage, egg & cheese on a hard roll) and a large cup of coffee (cream and sugar) and a bottle of water

Lunch at 1:30 while driving from library to get J--Vanilla Yogurt (low fat), with instant oatmeal packet and some dried cherries

Snack in car while waiting for G--2 chips ahoy chocolate chip cookies and a bottle of water

Got home and A was at my house and had cooked dinner, so I sampled some ham after I got home.  Then dinner was roasted Ham, potatoes and carrots around 5:30.  it was very good, and a surprise to not have to cook.  While I appreciate A's cooking, it makes me wary of boundaries.  but right now I am trying to go with the flow.  We are trying to build a friendship and cooking dinner for someone is something a friend would do, so I am just going to appreciate it and leave my negative worries behind.  I am letting go, letting go...

I will probably have a snack later.  The boys had canned apricots for snack, which J liked but G not so much.  I might have a little something later, maybe just a cup of tea.  If I do i will come back here and put an update.  Well, I best get to writing articles if I am going to have a productive evening.

Day 12--a day of the munchies

The munchies are driving me crazy today, which is not good when you are trying to drop pounds.  i can not say that I have had much success in controlling the munchies.  It is a little after 4:00 as I write this.  Today (between 7:30am and now) I have had:

1 bowl of All Bran Strawberry Medley with skim milk
3 pieces of toast with butter and honey
1 1/2 bowls of oatmeal with brown sugar (not instant, cooked on stove)
3 hot dogs with bread and mustard
1/2 a sleeve of wheat crackers with cream cheese on them
3 cups of water and 2 cups of tea

So I have been grazing all day.

I will be signing my title over Monday to the auto salvage people.  My old Ford Taurus Wagon will be going on to a new life.  She still starts great, but the transmission is completely gone, like its not even there, so you can start it but it can't go anywhere.  i knew it was going for a while, but about 6 weeks ago I was driving J to school and it just dropped out of gear and that was it...  No more motion, forward, backward, nothing. 

I was greatly blessed within a week to have been lead to another Ford Taurus (not a wagon so harder to transport J's wheelchair, but it works) which I got an INCREDIBLE deal on.  And other than needed a new pair of tires soon and an alignment (and for some reason the check engine light came on this week), it is running GREAT.  I had been meaning to cannibalize the old Ford as I had put a lot into her, but alas the newer Taurus is quite different, they changed both body and engine somewhere between them, not even the tires are the same size, which is crazy making as I have a brand new tire on the old car, as one blew and I had to get it replaced immediately about 2 weeks before it died..  AND i don't have time to pull it all apart and try to figure out what will be a good fit. 

Since I am out of funds for gas to get back and forth this week and have multiple days where I need to add an additional 100-200 miles a day this week, I am hurting for money.  So it is time to sell the old car (I will miss her, she was a great car) for a couple hundred dollars and give it to the gas gods.

Anyway I will write more later, I am still not feeling up to par, and while I have a lot to say, I am not up to writing right now.