Can you say "overwhelmed"?

I admit it...I am struggling today. Some of it is fatigue combined with not feeling well. Some is deep concern over a girl who is special to me who is possibly suicidal and definitely needs professional help as she is cutting. Yet she refuses to go to her mom because she does not want to be honest about what is going on. Some of it is probably that I don't feel that I have accomplished anything today.

Yesterday I did not accomplish everything on my list by any stretch of the imagination. I got the grocery list made and did the shopping. I also was able to make progress on the laundry - it never is completely finished - and begin to get the checkbook balanced. The kitchen floor is swept - once. It will probably need another sweep before it gets mopped and the counters still are not clear. Tonight is Parent/Teacher conferences again at the high school - it's a new trimester so Stretch has some new teachers and classes. That means that we are not home tonight. Tomorrow night is TKD and Grief Group while Friday night is the start of the Festival of Faith at the church. Saturday we are supposed to have house guests in...can you say "overwhelmed"?

Priorities for today

Priorities for today:

Make grocery list - with price match ads. We don't need a lot but do need some specific stuff.
Laundry - towels from kitchen mess, jeans
Grocery shop - tonight after TKD
Continue cleaning kitchen - get to point where floor can be mopped.
Balance checkbook
Schedule and get to clean B's place.

Beyond that there's journaling, quiet time and exercise of some sort hopefully.

Starting off with a Bang

Well we appear to be starting 2008 off with a bang! Last night as B and I were coming back from doing a run to Graybil I called the Stretch and Squirrel to ask them to put a pot of water on the stove top to heat - warning them to make sure the slow cooker was out of the way. A few minutes later I received a frantic phone call - "help there's a fire on the stove-top! What do we do?" I could hear the smoke alarm going off in the background. I advised Squirrel to go ahead and try to get it out and if not to evacuate the house. We were at this point about 5 minutes from home anyway so I wasn't in a huge hurry to panic. Stretch threw water on it and that got it out before we got home. End result was a mess, a shattered crock pot (not the one I had supper in), a destroyed high quality spatula, a smelly house and one rather upset son. (Dipstick was at Jay's where he had spent the afternoon). That area of the kitchen is now cleaned up with no evidence of that excitement. As far as I know the burner on the cook top (which is one of those flat ceramic ones) will still work.

As I was doing that clean-up B was showing the boys the new live animal trap we had purchased while we were out - we know we've had a possum around. The three of them were able to adjust the trap and test it out on our outside cats to verify it worked. They rebaited it and set it out on the sidewalk beside the house. Around 9:30 last night Sally dog went nuts barking so I suspected it had worked. Sure enough this morning there is a live possum frantically attempting to get out of the trap and the boys are eagerly anticipating being allowed to dispose of it tonight! Ugh!

In the meantime...for about the last month not only have we not been able to get water out of our fridge we've not been able to get ice either. (It's one of those fancy ones with the dispenser in the door). So at 4:00 am this morning Squirrel wakes me up..."Mom there's a scary noise coming from the hall". I had to get up and go investigate it - to find that it was the freezer in the fridge making the noise. This morning we've determined that it's leaking water - it looks like I will have to have some drywall replaced, possibly sub-flooring and will have to repaint. In the meantime the fridge is pulled way out, the microwave cart is pulled way out and the currently unused house humidifier is moved into a different room. Stretch figures that we are undergoing a "cascade failure" of appliances and pipes due to the water softener being down. Should be interesting figuring out priorities for repair.

On that note...it's time to go check the laundry, look for a different phone call to have someone come look at the fridge and try to figure out how to function in the kitchen with the fridge in the middle of the floor. (and I will attempt to add pictures to this later)

Quick update - there's been a lot going on. Squirrel is waiting for me to come watch a movie with him so this won't be long at all. Have to love after Christmas sales - I was able to get 2 pairs of pj pants for under $5.00 total! Also picked up a few other things on clearance so am very pleased about that.

Dipstick's brother Jay (B's stepson) is in the hospital out of state with a leg broken in 3 places. He was to have surgery tonight to put a plate in his leg. (He was loading or unloading his semi that he drives when a chain snapped and broke his leg). So prayers are appreciated for him.

Just talked to another friend of mine who is just about finished with her 90 days trial period at her job. Unfortunately due to the weather we've had lately - even though she knows the company likes her work - she is concerned that she will lose her job for attendance issues due to road conditions.

When I look at other people's situations my life is very calm and peaceful at the moment. I am thankful for my blessings - I have a home in a country that is peaceful, I have a good job, healthy children, a car that runs, plenty of food and water...the list of blessings goes on. Reminders to be thankful are good at times - it's very easy to forget and focus on the negatives.

Again??

So yesterday afternoon - 2nd last day of school before Christmas break - I'm at the elementary school attempting to load my students when one of my little boys came to me and told me another one had punched him in the nose and it was bleeding. The next time I looked we had blood what seemed like everywhere. So I'm on the radio attempting to get someone from the school out to get help because I knew the student with the nose needed looked at. Finally after using my cell phone to call my boss to get a response I was able to leave the two students involved at the school and take off to take the rest home. Thankfully there were no major issues with the remaining students and I was able to get them delivered safely. So...I'm empty and proceeding home myself when I meet a bus from the neighboring school district on a gravel road with soft shoulders that we both use - she still had students on board. I made the decision that since I was empty I would move over as far as possible - unfortunately I hit a patch of ice then the soft shoulder and slid into the ditch up to my axles. Thankfully my boss was able to pull me out without having to call a wrecker and there was no damage done to the bus. I was there probably about 30 minutes. The other driver watched the entire thing happen - I found out later that she radioed in to her boss that she had just watched a bus go into the ditch and something needed to be done about the road. My boss appeared amused - and said that I'd had my share of "pulls" this year - this was the second time this week!

I'm very very glad that today is the last day of school before break - I need the break as do my students. Things have got to turn around soon - I don't want to find another job - I normally love driving bus and my kids.

Shoes, Snow and Driveways

Well we have a normal school day today...Monday we were off for a snow day and yesterday we had a delay. Monday I didn't get plowed out until late in the day - then I took off for town. The main E/W highway was clear running water but the back roads were still snow and ice-covered. And getting up my driveway was extremely difficult when I did get back home - we dumped cat litter, wood ashes and any sand we could find on the driveway - then I prayed a lot. I finally got up after several attempts. Roads during the bus route were bad yesterday though thankfully I didn't get stuck or run extremely far behind - and I was able to successfully make my turn-arounds both morning and afternoon. However the driveway was still an issue - I was home for a few minutes between my kindergarten shuttle and afternoon route - ended up stuck across the road unable to go forwards or back. Eventually with the assistance of a pull and 4 people pushing I was able to get out and off the road. I just had enough time to get a quick drink before having to head back out again to do the afternoon run. Getting home after the route I still had trouble with the driveway...it took several attempts to get up and I didn't succeed until I'd made arrangements over the radio for the boys to get rides home. Needless to say I canceled any plans I had last night to go run errands or attend the middle school choir concert and I was more than a little discouraged.

B and Dipstick ended up coming down for supper - I fixed spagetti - it was rather spur of the moment but I was very thankful. They worked on the driveway - cleared some of the ice and melted muck off the bottom so I could get traction this morning. After supper B and I went to town - he drove. I had a coupon to a store I needed some stuff at and he needed some groceries from Stuff-Mart. After I bought my stuff we ended up at the local shoe store where I was to get new shoes. I learned something - my favorite brand of tennis shoes are made in 3 different countries overseas. So I'm in this shoe store - don't try on the shoes - just pick out the size I need and wait for the employees to go find the mate to that shoe. They are not able to do so - they ended up with 6 different pairs of shoes (I think) that were completely mis-mated - each pair was from 2 different countries. The only pair of that brand that was a matched pair didn't fit me comfortably. So...long story short...I ended up switching brands. So...now I have to consider...do I in the future want to go back to that particular brand or do I simply switch to another brand?

Better scoot - got to go switch laundry loads and clean some more. Mom and Dad should hopefully be here sometime this evening.

Snowed In

(Picture taken from back door)

Well we are officially snowed in - at least for today. It started snowing yesterday morning about 11:00 am and continued all night. It was a mix of little tiny flakes, sleet, freezing rain and lovely big soft flakes. We are under a snow emergency which means that unless we are a emergency worker or on our way to work we are not allowed to go anywhere. Even when it's decreased I don't have 4-wheel drive so won't be able to go anywhere - not to mention the fact that it's impossible to hand shovel 10 inches from our drive. (O.k. maybe not impossible but extremely difficult and not something I will be attempting).

(Picture of the deck)

However we have 3 gallons of milk, plenty of flour, sugar and other baking supplies...plus the kids will spend some time sledding so we will be just fine.





(Picture taken from front door - towards the barn)

A "normal" day?

A "normal" day? This will be the first one all week where school actually started on time with no delays and no cancellations. The ice is pretty much all gone off the trees and bushes and most of the snow is gone from the ground. And the sun is attempting to shine. But I am so far behind on stuff that one day won't be nearly enough time to catch up. And maybe we might possibly get a snow day before Christmas break yet! At least one can always hope. Oh well...the bus is in the shop getting the broken window replaced, a grease job and hopefully a wash. I get to drive a mini for my shuttle - that's always fun. The kindergartners love riding in the mini bus and to me it's better than driving a different full size one. So during the day today I will attempt to catch up on housework - tonight we have Squirrel's TaeKwonDo testing and a Gospel Choir concert for Stretch so will be out running most of the evening. B is going to attempt to make the concert - Squirrel was disappointed that Dipstick and he won't make it to his testing. Dipstick may opt to go to youth group tonight instead of the concert - I don't know yet.

Delay

We are just finishing up another 2 hour delay for this morning. It's much more gray out than it was yesterday morning - it's been raining since before I got up. To me it looks as if the ice is getting thicker on the trees and shrubs. However the roads are "just" wet at the moment. If the temperature - which currently is hovering just above freezing - drops any at all things will get very challenging. It feels very very cold out this morning though.



These pictures were taken yesterday after I got finished with my kindergarten shuttle. I did notice yesterday that places where tree branches did not normally touch the top of my bus routinely clipped them.

On a different note...my bus route went much more smoothly yesterday afternoon. I was full but not exceedingly crowded and it seemed the kids were slightly less wound up. We will see how things go today. Other than that it doesn't seem like there is too much exciting going on.

11:20 am Well our 2 hour delay this morning honestly wasn't a whole lot of help as far as the roads were concerned. I got stuck - partly in a field off the edge of a road - it wasn't the worst one I'd driven on this morning but there was no way I could get myself out. We sat for probably 30 min waiting on assistance. The county salt truck driver was a friend from church. Also one of the mechanics and the head of maintenance for the school district came out. They hooked the back of the bus to one of the pick-ups and pulled me out - after shoveling a fair bit of salt/sand mix under the back of the bus. Then I followed the country truck to the end of that road before going out to the highway. Thankfully one of the other drivers was able to pick up my town kids relieving some stress for me. Also thankfully I was not the only driver that got stuck - just the only one that had to be pulled out. Now I'm having a very quick cup of coffee before I have to head back out to do my kindergarten shuttle - then it will be home for a few minutes before afternoon route.

Test

This is really just a test to see if I can upload pictures. This is one I took when I was playing with the camera. Let me know if it's too big or anything like that.

Quick Update

Very quick update this morning as I've got plenty to do today - I didn't get nearly as much done as I wanted to yesterday. Before I get too far wanted to note a nickname change for the boys. Son1 will now be referred to as Stretch, Son2 is Squirrel and B2 is Dipstick. None of these nicknames were chosen by me - all were chosen by Dipstick's step-brother, Jay.

Tonight is the visitation for Matt's dad Mike - Stretch, B and I will be going. Squirrel will be at a friend's after his TaeKwonDo class and Dipstick will be at Cub Scouts. I'm certain it will be a late night if only because we have to go to Ft. Wayne for this. The funeral is tomorrow and none of us will be attending.

Yesterday we managed to get the bird feeders refilled and rehung. I need to make suet soon as I'm certain that will help keep the feeders filled. It's a great pleasure to watch the birds flitting around back and forth - especially on the gray gloomy days. I also did grocery shopping after picking up Dipstick from his house. Stretch and Squirrel shoveled the top part of the driveway and just beginning down the hill - this was after they'd been out sledding for nearly an hour. We spent time with Suz at her house - the boys played outside with her girls while she and I were able to enjoy a good visit.

Once we were home, Matt stopped in to see the boys. It was wonderful to see him and to have them all have a chance to visit. He and Stretch went to church last night - that gave them some one on one time to visit as well. He is struggling - holding his grief over his dad in and I'm certain would appreciate prayers. (Dipstick and I finished shoveling the driveway, including the hill before Matt arrived.)

B came over for supper last night - topped off an enjoyable day with a very pleasant evening. We had some very good conversation while the younger boys watched a movie.

Now I need to be off to get some housework done and hopefully find time to work on some Christmas stuff.

School and Snow Days

There is now the sound of much cheering and hollering in my house! We are off school today due to a snow day. We've had several inches of snow overnight and it's still coming down lightly. The amazing thing to me is that as of right now - 7:45 am - the district right next to us who used to be one of the first to cancel is still going - just going late. I am thankful for the unexpected day off as it will hopefully give us a chance to catch up on things around the house. I accomplished absolutely nothing yesterday as I had a major nausea causing headache and slept most of the day. Getting the boys to stop jumping around is a major challenge but they are happy.

On a different note...I don't have my chickens yet. Suz accidentally had my rooster butchered so the chickens will stay at her place for now. Eventually I will have a coop with a heat lamp at my house and that's where I will keep the chickens and keep them warm.

8:27 am - B2's school district is now also canceled as are most of the school districts around us. Later I will go pick him up to bring here for a bit - that way he's not home alone all day and the 3 boys can go sledding. In the meantime, hopefully at some point someone will be able to come plow my driveway...it surely would be nice to have a lawnmower with a snowplow attachment. We will likely all go to Suz's to sled there with her girls.

Talk about majorly mixed emotions at the moment. Last night a member of our church was killed in a roll-over accident coming back from Michigan. His name is Mike. There were others in the vehicle and apparently everyone was ejected - not sure on the conditions of the others involved. Roads were very bad due to a mix of wintery weather - ice and snow. Anyway...when I heard the news I thought it was his son, Matt who's currently serving in the military - he just finished basic training a few weeks ago. I was in shock - worried about my boys who had just talked to Matt on the phone last night - their reactions to the news, etc. Now that I know it was his dad there is still grief - for Matt and his mom and the loss they are dealing with. However there is also relief of a sort that my boys have not lost a close friend. Son1 got very very quiet when I told him but he's willing and able to talk. Son2 is, on the surface fine - he tends to stuff emotions in. I can only imagine how much worse the pain is when it's also mixed with shock. The thing to be thankful for is that the family all knows the Lord.

Bus Route Stuff & Other Ventures

I have to confess to frustration this morning...Driving my route I completely spaced and drove right past one of my stops. The students were not out at the stop but they were on the way down their long driveway - in their mom's vehicle. I kept waiting for them to show up someplace along the rest of the route and it didn't happen. Instead while I was trying to nap at home I received a very irate phone call from the mom. Truthfully I don't blame her for being upset as it meant she had to drive her boys to school - and I should have stopped. On the other hand, she needs to have the boys out at the stop early especially since she lives on a very busy main road. I did check the time and I was not early - in previous school districts I would not have stopped if the students were not out. By the end of the call the mom was calmer - accepted my apology and now knows what to do if that should ever happen again. I told her where to meet me where it would be safe for me to get the boys that's not too far out of her way or mine.

Also I'm still too full - I got 2 new students yesterday. That pretty much negates taking the 5 off. Additionally two students that haven't been riding in the afternoon will be back on starting next Monday. That still leaves me 3 to a seat in most of my seats with many of these kids having issues that make it challenging for them to handle being 3 to a seat. I talked to my boss after I finished the other phone call and he basically said that if I do not have at least 72 riders I'm out of luck and will just have to deal with it. I'm going to do a count this afternoon both of actual bodies on the bus as well as those on my list that are not on the bus but are potential riders. I don't see any way that I can put 3 in the seat that I have my "seat belt student" riding. He's got enough issues without being squashed added to it - yesterday was a very rough afternoon with him anyway. When I went into the school this morning I found out that his teacher was away yesterday and he'd had a very difficult day overall. So the challenges are very much still there.

On a different note I'm going to get some chickens of my own - laying hens that are already layers. In other words I won't have to raise them from chicks before I start getting eggs. I'm both excited and nervous about this. Suz will keep them for me until B and I get something built for me to keep them in here. He says he's got feeders, nest boxes, etc at his parents so my start-up costs are likely to be very minimal.

This morning was beautiful - very cold but gorgeous red and pink sunrise. It's clouded over pretty much all ready - we are supposed to get rain and snow later tonight and tomorrow. I wished I could take my camera along on the bus! No deer this morning - yesterday we saw 6 in a group. That was fun. I'm making progress on Christmas stuff but it's slow. I am still trying to figure out how to simplify while still decorating the big tree and doing gifts.

I Did It!

I did it! I successfully began to conquer my fear of heights. (I say began because I'm sure that it's not completely conquered yet) Yesterday B & B2 were down to help me with stuff that's difficult for me to do alone such as cutting wood, cleaning gutters, taking out A/C units that are too big to lift alone. We got wood cut and stacked, as well as taken to the burn pile out behind the barn. We also got the big A/C unit out of my bedroom window and hauled to the barn. That left finishing up cleaning out the gutters to do - it had been started a couple of weeks ago with the front of the house being done. The back sides required a bigger ladder that I don't own - we were able to borrow one. Anyway...we sent Son2 and B2 up the ladder to the roof to start that process. They stayed up there working until both were complaining that their hands were cold at which point they came down and went to warm up. I was the only one willing to attempt to go up the ladder to take over - Son1 is more afraid of heights than I am and B needed to stay down to hold the ladder and run the hose. So I climbed up and finished the one side, then crawled/scooched over the top of the roof to the remaining side to work on that one. I was unwilling to stand up and walk on the roof but wasn't too terrified otherwise. And I was able to get down without the fire department having to be called! So growth is happening in this area.

Yeah!!

Well...I'm losing 5 of my regular 14 middle school students on my afternoon bus route to another driver. Of the remaining 3 that have no siblings on my bus I am still hoping to have one more transferred off - the other driver goes right past her house while I have to do a turn-around when she rides. I was told the other driver did not want to take her as a rider because she "is a hottie and that makes the high school boys act up." Considering this other driver only hauls 30 students and I have 60+ I honestly don't have much sympathy for that reason. Of course now I am on the other driver's black list - she's really upset about having more passengers. While I'm not losing as many as I'd hoped to it should still make a difference - it will open up at least one more row in the back so that I hopefully don't have as many students sitting 3 to a seat.

On a different note the weekend went very well. Friday night I had G over - we went to the "city" - we stopped at Hobby Lobby and a scrapbook store. She didn't enjoy those as much as I had hoped she would - and we ran out of time to go to a department store. She did seem to enjoy walking the mall though. It was good to spend some time with her - we had some time to talk about stuff we don't usually get to chat about. I still want to spend some time scrapbooking with her.

Saturday the boys and I in addition to B & B2 had supper at Suz's. Her in-laws (who I've known for many many years) were there visiting. It was neat to get to see them and have them get to meet B. What was extra special to me is that they approve of him - that's important since I've known them so many years - they've been an adopted "mom and dad" to me - especially when I was away at boarding school. That was a late evening but a lot of fun.

Sunday there was only one service at church as they were finishing up their building fund drive. It is obvious we need a bigger building and the plans are beautiful. I do struggle with certain aspects of how they handle some of the pledging but overall it was a good morning. There was a catered hog roast at the local 4H center which they used as their annual Thanksgiving meal. I would have enjoyed having a bit more variety of side dishes and desserts but it was o.k. In the afternoon, we celebrated B2's birthday - he turned 11 on Monday.

This week will likely be a busy week but thankfully there's only 3 days of school. I've got to come up with some dessert ideas to take with on Thursday - brownies of some sort are a given but I'm not sure what else to bring. Enough rambling for now - time to get some stuff done around the house.

Thursday

No training this morning - our session was canceled due to the school nurse being sick. I'm thankful to have time at home - haven't got much done that wasn't school bus related but at least I'm home and able to start laundry and stuff. And honestly I wasn't looking forward to learning how to handle seizures - have been there, done that at home with my husband. I've sent an email to my boss about the over-crowding on the bus - I have middle school students that could possibly be transferred to another bus. That would free up some space for my younger students. Legally I know I'm not over-crowded but so many of my kids are "high need" that having them 3 to a seat makes things more challenging. I have 20 minutes or so of "he/she's hitting/touching/pinching me" or "I'm crowded" or even "my mom doesn't want me to sit by him/her because they....(you fill in the blank)".

We had snow flurries this morning - quite a drastic change from the upper 50's from yesterday and the day before. The ground is still too warm for it to stick but it's still a cold blustery day where I'm thankful to have a heated home and a heated bus. I did get my irises replanted a couple of weeks ago - and some grape hyacinth transferred. I wanted to put in more daffodils, crocus and tulips but so far that hasn't happened. There is plenty of cleaning up outside that needs done but it will likely wait until I have some help.

Other than that, not too much is going on. Son1 ended up not missing any school this week - by yesterday morning he was feeling much better. I am very thankful for that. Just wish I could also have stayed healthier.

And I am an aunt again - as of about 4:30 this morning. My youngest brother and his wife just had their first child. This is exciting - though they live so far away it's unknown when I'll actually get to meet baby.

Better go for now - time to get ready for kindergarten shuttle

Weekly Recap

This morning is a damp gray day - it rained yesterday and last night. The nice thing is that it's a bit warmer today - in the high 50's right now. I saw several deer this morning on the bus route - that was cool. I am weary this morning but that's to be expected since I didn't get adequate sleep over the weekend.

Yesterday of course was church. Son1 had two concerts so he wasn't home much. Son2 was still recovering from his cold/fever/virus that he's had - he missed school on Friday though he did go today. B and his son B2 came down for supper - I was dropping off Son1 when they arrived. I came home to find B2 on my roof cleaning out my front gutters. B was on the stepladder in the back of the truck helping. That was wonderful as yesterday morning I had to wade through several inches of water on the front sidewalk. Son2 wanted to get up and help - he did very well. The rest of the gutters should still be cleaned out but hopefully for now the water will drain better. Yesterday morning we also realized that our 6th (and final) kitty from Oddball's last litter was missing. Sally dog had woken me up early Sunday morning barking and I heard something that sounded like barking outside the front door - I didn't turn on any lights to check but assume that something happened then to cause it to die.

Saturday night B and I had a date - we had tickets to go to the OakRidge Boys concert - what a blast! It's been years since I've heard them live - and it's hard to believe that they've been a group for 30 years - that's getting close to being as old as I am. They did several of their old hits, some Christmas and some gospel. I didn't realize that they had a gospel album out - that's something to look for. I would love to see their Christmas concert but that's not going to happen any time soon. The funny thing was that B and I were among the youngest people at the concert! Prior to the concert we went to a wedding reception for the son of some friends of his - that didn't go too well as the couple didn't get there until an hour after we did and we had to leave early to make it to the concert.

Friday night I went to the closest good sized town west of here - needed to drop some pictures off to get prints of and to find some new jeans. I also was able to do grocery shopping shopping as well. B called and tagged along - we had a good time. I figured he would be bored while I clothes-shopped but he didn't seem to mind. All 3 of the boys stayed at the house - got along quite well.

Friday on the bus route was very very challenging. My "seat belt child" did fine once he was seat belted but getting him there was interesting. He figured it would be more fun to try to block the aisle with his arm. Then as we were about to pull out of the school I had 3 5th grade boys get into a heated verbal argument - heated enough that I felt that they were likely to come to blows. I turned the bus around and requested someone else to come out to the bus - they were to be dealt with this morning by the principal. I still don't know what started it but when I heard them there was a lot of finger pointing and name calling going on. Hopefully this afternoon will go better. In the meantime I suppose I had better get my emails sent.

Oh yes...adjusting to the reading glasses is getting easier. I'm still amazed at how much difference they make.

Reading Glasses

Well...I finally broke down and bought (actually B bought them for me) a pair of reading glasses. I am amazed at how much difference they make. It will take some getting used to figuring out the correct distance to hold my book or whatever - I've gotten so used to stretching my arms out to be able to read that being able to hold things closer is a bit challenging. And I have no problem seeing my computer screen - Son2 on the other hand likes things so small than I have to have him make it bigger for me to see it. I didn't realize just how bad things were apparently getting with my vision - distance is still excellent but the near stuff is not. I cried when I realized that I could no longer cuddle a baby and see it comfortably without having to stretch my head way back. I still probably should get a "proper" eye exam but hopefully now it can wait until after Christmas.